A Chinese hongmu 'sanduo' rootwood stand

Qing dynasty, 19th century

Naturalistically carved and pierced as a gnarled rootwood dotted with ripe pomegranates, peaches and finger citrons.

68cm high x 45cm wide x 21cm deep.

Provenance: a private British collection, acquired in Hong Kong in the 1960s, by repute.

清十九世紀 紅木雕三多紋底座

來源：英國私人收藏，於1960年代購於香港（口傳）。

Known as a group as ‘the three abundances’ (sanduo三多), the finger citron, or Buddha’s Hand, peach and pomegranate, when represented together bring a blessing for a prosperous, long life, with many generations to follow.

As the fruit taking three thousand years to grow and as much to ripen in the garden of the Queen Mother of the West, the peach is a symbol of longevity. It is also the fruit associated with the God of Long Life Shoulao, who is often depicted holding a ripe fruit. According to legend, whoever eats one of the peaches from the garden of the Queen Mother of the West will acquire immortality.

The finger citron, in Chinese foshou 佛手, or Buddha’s hand, is a homophone and visual pun to the phrase, good fortune/wealth and longevity, fu shou 福壽.

Lastly, with its myriad seeds, the pomegranate is a clear symbol not only for a numerous family, but one populated by male heirs, zi 子.

In addition to the highly auspicious meaning, the group of three also poses technical challenges in their representation, from the richly shaded texture of ripe peaches, to the multitude of seeds of the pomegranate, and the corrugated texture of the finger citron, making it a highly desirable subject matter in carving of wood, lacquer, enamels and porcelain when well-executed.