120 - Molded porcelain snuffbox with polychrome glaze depicting a birthday greeting motif, China, Qianlong mark and period, 1770–1799

Molded porcelain snuffbox with polychrome glaze depicting a birthday greeting motif, China, Qianlong mark and period, 1770–1799 Shield-shaped, with a molded design in slight relief on one side depicting a peach tree bearing nine peaches, planted on a rock at the edge of a stormy sea over which a bat flies. On the reverse, daffodils, bamboo, and perforated rocks. A frieze of flowers and scrollwork in underglaze blue adorns the neck and shoulders. At the base, a four-character Qianlong mark in zhuanshu script in underglaze blue. Chalcedony stopper. Height: 6.2 cm Minor chipping on the neck, one shoulder, and the foot. The nine peaches 桃 (táo), a symbolic motif of longevity, evoke long life, while the bat 蝠 (fú)—a homophone for 福 (fú), meaning “happiness”—expresses a wish for happiness. The rock and waves refer to the birthday wish 寿山福海 - Shòushān fúhǎi, expressing a wish for a long life and boundless happiness. The narcissus (shuixian - 水仙), a flower associated with the Chinese New Year, symbolizes good fortune, prosperity, and immortality. Since its name is a homophone for xiān 仙—“immortal”—and is associated with bamboo (zhú 竹), a homophone for zhù 祝, “to wish, to congratulate,” and with lingzhi 灵芝 / 靈芝, a symbol of immortality, it expresses the wish zhīxiān zhùshòu 芝仙祝寿 / 芝仙祝壽, that is, birthday wishes centered on longevity.