Chinese Monkey Toggle, 19th Century
This black lacquered wood sculpture, made in China in the late 19th or early 20th century, depicts a crouching monkey whose eyes are highlighted in red.
It was used as a belt counterweight (zhuizi), combining a utilitarian function with a symbolic dimension. Through a play of homophony between hóu (monkey) and "marquis", this animal evokes social success and promotion, while embodying vivacity and mischief.
This everyday object, turned talisman, testifies to the taste for expressive miniature sculptures charged with meaning.
Good overall condition.
See Berna, Beppe. “Monkey Toggles: Discovering the Unknown World of Chinese Primitive Art.” Tribal Art Magazine, no. 24 (Autumn–Winter 2000): 96–99., for a general discussion of Chinese toggle carvings.
It was used as a belt counterweight (zhuizi), combining a utilitarian function with a symbolic dimension. Through a play of homophony between hóu (monkey) and "marquis", this animal evokes social success and promotion, while embodying vivacity and mischief.
This everyday object, turned talisman, testifies to the taste for expressive miniature sculptures charged with meaning.
Good overall condition.
See Berna, Beppe. “Monkey Toggles: Discovering the Unknown World of Chinese Primitive Art.” Tribal Art Magazine, no. 24 (Autumn–Winter 2000): 96–99., for a general discussion of Chinese toggle carvings.
80 €
Period: 19th century
Style: Asian art
Condition: Good condition
Material: Solid wood
Height: 9,5 cm
Depth: 3,5 cm
Reference (ID): 1743183
Availability: In stock
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