Dimension
Size: H3.5cm x Dia 10cm
Details
Lucky coins and distinctively shaped yuanbao gold ingots, sculpted in fine pewter, festoon the sides of the wealth bowl.

In Chinese geomancy, or feng shui, the display of a generous open bowl, with either an element of gold or some representation of wealth, is prescribed to attract good fortune.

More amulet but never official currency, the auspiciousness attributed to the Zhengde Tongbao Ôlucky coinÕ derives from the Chinese love of wordplay. Although the Zhengde Emperor did indeed occupy the throne from 1506 to 1522, no circulating coinage bearing his name was minted during his reign. However, coin-shaped charms bearing the characters for Zhengde Tongbao ____ were minted from the mid 1600s, the characters translated as ÔCoinage of True VirtueÕ and thus bestowing them with auspicious aspects.

About the collection
The exoticism and lofty symbolism of oriental style, legacy of a millennia-old continuous civilisation, provides an opulent counterpoint to the restraint of contemporary aesthetics.