Dear YT,
So in effect, would a suggested 2 bottle set, with this bottle displaying 'North XuanWu' and 'West Tiger', and the second bottle displaying 'East Dragon' and 'South Phoenix', would in effect be an amulet, displaying the 'Four Holy Beasts' and keeping away all demons ? I assume this is a Daoist belief, rather than Buddhist.
Thank you for the insight. My first thought was that these were three of the animals representing the Chinese Zodiac, but while the snake and the tiger are there, the tortoise/turtle is not. I then wondered if it was a rebus, but no luck there, either. Then I wondered if there was a Chinese proverb or story, like one I just learned about from Curt Lam, who was just here with his family.
One of the four B & W bottles I just got in the Bonham's SFO sale of 23.June,2015, from lot 7186 (from the Bentley Collection, London), has a picture of a bird (a snipe - Thanks Tom; sandpiper - Thanks Inn Bok) with its beak caught in a clam shell. The bird tried to eat the clam's flesh, and its beak was caught by the clam which refused to release it and both are about to be grabbed by a fisherman, suggesting a Chinese proverb, parable or story which implies that two smaller powers which fight among themselves will inevitably BOTH be swallowed up by a much larger power. Thank you to Inn Bok for clarifying that it is based on a historical episode.
Best,
Joey
Dear all,
This is what I have gathered so far.
The Taoist god 玄武(xuán wǔ) is the 'Black Tortoise'. Physically it looks like a tortoise entwined together with a snake.
The four holy beast that all demons are afraid of is the "东苍龙、西白虎、南朱雀、北玄武" East Dragon, West Tiger, South Phoenix and North XuanWu.
This Pink overlay could be one of two bottles' set, with the other showing a dragon and a phoenix.
Attached is the top and bottom pics.
Cheers,
YT