ABS 206
Code: ABS 206
Country: Tibet
Style:
Date: 1500 - 1600
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 4.5 x 6.5 x 2.8
Materials: Brownish stone with remains colour
The Six symbols of longevity
At first sight, this small stone sculpture might appear as representing a bucolic scenery. We see a whitebeard old man sitting in a cave near a blooming tree, a bird and a brook. Yet, in fact, all these elements belong to a specific set representing the six symbols of longevity. The old man is the Chinese god of long-life. He sits near the long-life tree, a peach tree heavy with all his fruits, beside a rock and a brook of long-life, and near a crane, a bird famous for his longevity. Only missing element is the deer which traditionally completes the set.
At first sight, this small stone sculpture might appear as representing a bucolic scenery. We see a whitebeard old man sitting in a cave near a blooming tree, a bird and a brook. Yet, in fact, all these elements belong to a specific set representing the six symbols of longevity. The old man is the Chinese god of long-life. He sits near the long-life tree, a peach tree heavy with all his fruits, beside a rock and a brook of long-life, and near a crane, a bird famous for his longevity. Only missing element is the deer which traditionally completes the set.