Title
Deer
Label
Deer 鹿(lù)
Made in Jingdezhen, China, 1800-1820
Made of hard-paste porcelain
On loan from Felicia Warburg Rogan
Munching on its favorite fungus, língzhī (灵芝), this deer expresses the classical Chinese wish for a long and happy life. In Chinese tradition, only deer can find this fungus that grants immortality, and they symbolize longevity because of this special talent.
The longevity stone beneath the deer not only supports this wish for a long life but also the ceramic figure itself. The thin legs of the deer could not have held up the figure in the kiln, so the Chinese potter propped up its body with the stone.
Made in Jingdezhen, China, 1800-1820
Made of hard-paste porcelain
On loan from Felicia Warburg Rogan
Munching on its favorite fungus, língzhī (灵芝), this deer expresses the classical Chinese wish for a long and happy life. In Chinese tradition, only deer can find this fungus that grants immortality, and they symbolize longevity because of this special talent.
The longevity stone beneath the deer not only supports this wish for a long life but also the ceramic figure itself. The thin legs of the deer could not have held up the figure in the kiln, so the Chinese potter propped up its body with the stone.
Collection
Citation
“Deer,” Museums at Washington and Lee University: Online Exhibits, accessed May 17, 2024, https://exhibits-museums.omeka.wlu.edu/items/show/364.