77 | Boxwood carving of a finger-citron fruit with separate carved hardwood stand 18th century Length: 15 cm | 5 7/8 in Height: 8 cm | 3 1/8 in Click image for full-size version The single citrus fruit, also known as a ‘Buddha’s-hand’ fruit, is carved fully in the round and attached to the severed branch from which it has grown – the leaves falling back onto the fruit, whose pitted surface contrasts with the smooth polish of the leaves. Tendrils, with hook like ends, extend out from the main body and partly intertwine – the artist’s acute observation of nature demonstrated by remarkably lifelike carving. The fruit is placed on its side to slot comfortably into a dark hardwood stand; this is created from one piece of wood, and decorated with rockwork, bamboo and grasses – the elongated oval form supported on four simple bracket feet. ‘Buddha’s-hand’, or ‘foshou’, is a homophone – ‘fu shou’ meaning blessings and longevity. The fruit is inedible, strongly aromatic, and has medicinal properties; it is frequently used as a votive offering, and is symbolic of wealth (as the finger-like tendrils resemble a hand, collecting money). Similar examples: China, The Three Emperors 1662 – 1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, edited by Evelyn S. Rawski and Jessica Rawson. Catalogue no. 134 illustrates a boxwood box & cover carved in the form of a ‘Budda’s hand’ fruit, early Qing dynasty, 17th century. The Exquisite Art of Bamboo Carving – Gems from Overseas Private Collections, by H. L. Huang, published by H. L. Huang, Oriental Art, Taipei, Taiwan, 2007 – pages 192 and 170.