A fine carved jadependant with inscription for long life

Description:

China, 18th/19th cent.
H. 7,4 cm
In the shape of a calabash with bats and the inscription in relief.
From an old South German private collection
The pendant combines several central themes of Chinese fortune symbolism: Jade as the epitome of purity and virtue, the calabash as a symbol of life and healing, the bat as the embodiment of happiness and the inscription 壽 as an expression of a long, fulfilled life. Such pieces were often worn as amulets or presented as gifts to older people to wish them health, prosperity and a happy life - Well preserved