Group of carvings of peach stones (detail)

This small carving is one of a group depicting lively scenes of the zoological and natural world. Every scene is executed with great precision and is carved out of the small area of a half-stone of a peach.

This detail shows a crab with ears of grain. The Chinese words for grain (he) and for crab (xie), when put together, sound like the words for harmony, also pronounced "hexie". So these images are a kind of visual pun, conveying the wish for harmony.

The small dimensions of the material make the carving an object for close appreciation.

Record details

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Online ID:	000-190-001-299-C
Image Rights Holder:	National Museums Scotland
Project:	0098: National Museums Scotland Project description \| View all records in project
Ref:	National Museums Scotland A.1894.244
Date:	19th century
Material:	Peach stone
Dimensions:	10 mm H x 21 mm L x 16 mm W
What:	Carving
Subject:	Ivory
Who:
Where:	China
Event:
Description:	Peach stone delicately carved in an open design, oval, and one of six: China
References:
Translations:
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