Description
This is a fine quality Chinese Cinnabar Lacquerware Vase in stunning vermilion color hand-carved with the images of the peony flowers. This exquisite item will definitely make a lovely addition to your home or office.
The Queen of all flowers and the national flower of China, the Peony or ‘Mou Tan’ is also known as the ‘Flower of Riches and Honor’ in Chinese. The peony is the emblem of love and affection, feminine beauty, and the amorous feelings of youth. Peonies are often referred to in romantic Chinese poetry and literature, and used as the main motifs of Chinese decorative arts and can be found on porcelains and tapestries. In Feng Shui, the Peony is used to attract romance and wealth luck.
Lacquerware has been made in Chinese history since 200 B.C. by using lacquer harvested from the sap of a Lacquer tree native to Southern China. It takes up months for a piece of Cinnabar lacquerware to be completed because many coats of lacquer are required to create the desired thickness that can be carved and each layer must dry before the next layer can be applied. Because of the tedious process, Cinnabar lacquer wares would fetch a higher price. Cinnabar is usually used as the coloring pigment because of its durability and beautiful vivid red to orange color – a favorite color of the Chinese. Cinnabar also has significance in Taoist culture and was regarded as the color of life and eternity.
