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19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant

$1,650.00

19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant

$1,650.00

Description

DATE: Victorian, c.1850

Known as heidao, the art of carving nuts and fruit pits into intricate three-dimensional beads flourished during the Qing period (1644-1911), with artists continually trying to better themselves and their contemporaries both. Subjects would include the Chinese zodiac, Buddha, sages, animals, scenes from nature or legend, and they would typically use apricot kernels, peach, coquilla, or olive pits, walnuts, or myrica rubra kernels. Clearly, owing to the small size of the medium, the level of intricacy and fineness, and therefore skill required to create them is utterly remarkable. This one takes the form of a monkey with garnet eyes hunched over eating its own tail, a sort of bizarre shape-shifted ouroborous. It appears to have been carved from a peach kernel, with gold wire collar doubling as a pendant bail - circa 1850.

STONES 

Garnet

MEASUREMENTS 

2.2 x 1.8 x 1.5cm

WEIGHT 

1.7g

MARKS 

No marks present, tests as 9k gold

CONDITION 

Very good

19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant 19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant 19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant 19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant 19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant 19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant 19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant 19th Century Heidao Monkey Pendant

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