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At one time, Chinese stonecutters made precious and semiprecious minerals into jewelry, accessories, and other artifacts required by the imperial court and its officials. Today, however, the only reminder of this busy trade is the carvings available in the craft areas of Chinese department stores. The same skill that fashioned agate into the delicate flower blossoms for an empress' or concubine's hairpin, today fashions petals for "mineral trees," which are still life "trees" formed of mineral or glass components, usually wired together and "planted" in cloisonné planters.
Throughout Chinese history, precious stones and minerals have had a distinct hierarchy. When used for ornamentation, however, the choice of stones was based on aesthetic or symbolic similarities. The Chinese consider jade to be the most precious of all stones because it symbolizes purity and excellence. It is considered "the most perfect development of the masculine principle in nature," and it is highly valued as the "concrete expression of both earthly and spiritual power." According to the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ching), the heavens are comprised of "jade and gold."
Originally imported to China from Iran and Sri Lanka, red coral is highly revered throughout Asia. The Chinese associate red coral with auspiciousness and longevity because of its color and its resemblance to deer antlers (which, in turn, represent virtue, long life, and high rank). Thus, the use of coral suggests high rank and nobility.
ProvenanceFrom 1964
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, acquired in 1964. [1]
Notes:
[1] In the early 1960s Charles H. Babcock (1899-1967) gave the house and its contents to the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. The house was then incorporated as a museum and collection (Reynolda House, Inc.) on December 18, 1964 with the signing of the charter at its first board meeting. The museum first opened to the public in September 1965.
DepartmentHistoric House
Mineral Tree with Stand
Dateearly 20th Century
Mediumhard stones, agate, jade, coral, cloisonné, gilding, metal, silk thread, wire, teakwood (stand)
DimensionsOverall: 23 1/2 × 15 1/2 × 12 1/4 in. (59.7 × 39.4 × 31.1 cm)
Credit LineReynolda Estate
CopyrightPublic Domain
Object number1922.2.51
DescriptionThe so-called mineral tree is made from a variety of hard stones, such as pale-colored agate and jade, carved in the shapes of petals and leaves and wired to gilded branches with wire wrapped in red thread to simulate the appearance of a small tree "planted" in a rectangular cloisonné jardinière and supported on an elaborately carved teakwood stand. Small bits of coral litter the "ground" from which the tree "grows." The colorful decoration on the cloisonné jardinière includes five-toed red dragons and various flowers displayed in shaped reserves separated by conventionalized flowers and scrolls. The table-like teakwood stand has a carved apron and four cabriole legs elevated on a platform.At one time, Chinese stonecutters made precious and semiprecious minerals into jewelry, accessories, and other artifacts required by the imperial court and its officials. Today, however, the only reminder of this busy trade is the carvings available in the craft areas of Chinese department stores. The same skill that fashioned agate into the delicate flower blossoms for an empress' or concubine's hairpin, today fashions petals for "mineral trees," which are still life "trees" formed of mineral or glass components, usually wired together and "planted" in cloisonné planters.
Throughout Chinese history, precious stones and minerals have had a distinct hierarchy. When used for ornamentation, however, the choice of stones was based on aesthetic or symbolic similarities. The Chinese consider jade to be the most precious of all stones because it symbolizes purity and excellence. It is considered "the most perfect development of the masculine principle in nature," and it is highly valued as the "concrete expression of both earthly and spiritual power." According to the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ching), the heavens are comprised of "jade and gold."
Originally imported to China from Iran and Sri Lanka, red coral is highly revered throughout Asia. The Chinese associate red coral with auspiciousness and longevity because of its color and its resemblance to deer antlers (which, in turn, represent virtue, long life, and high rank). Thus, the use of coral suggests high rank and nobility.
ProvenanceFrom 1964
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, acquired in 1964. [1]
Notes:
[1] In the early 1960s Charles H. Babcock (1899-1967) gave the house and its contents to the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. The house was then incorporated as a museum and collection (Reynolda House, Inc.) on December 18, 1964 with the signing of the charter at its first board meeting. The museum first opened to the public in September 1965.
Status
On viewearly 20th Century
19th Century
19th Century
circa 1700
circa 1700
1920s
circa 1750
Matching/Matching