A pair of pomegranates on carved wood stands

Qing dynasty, 18th century
China

height with stand: 13.4 cm and 14 cm

Each fruit is attached to a gnarled and twisted branch – the leaves, flower buds and other smaller fruit enveloping the pomegranate, and one of the pair is carved with a resting bat. The pomegranates are ripe and split at the side – revealing the numerous seeds within and traces of the red cold pigment with which they were once brightly decorated. The carved open work wood stands echo the theme.

Pomegranate (shiliu) is a symbol of fertility and numerous male progeny – as it is full of (zi) seeds and, by implication, full of future sons (zi). The bat (pianfu) symbolises happiness and longevity – both of which are fitting connections for the pomegranate’s symbolic meaning.

similar examples
‘Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings – The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum’, 2001 – no.168

‘Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing’ The Oriental Ceramic Society and British Museum, 1984 – figure 193.