Another beauty from a visit to my favorite cabinet of curiosities in New Hampshire this week. This is Chinese, bronze I believe, and portrays a fingered citron fruit, also known as a Buddha's hand--which looks like a lemon with long fingers and is often used as an offering in Buddhist temples and a decoration during holidays like Lunar New Year, symbolizing longevity and good fortune. I have found an antique (18th c.) example closely resembling the manner of this but carved of boxwood, but I can find no other example of a box in bronze. I find it very fine and completely gorgeous and also elemental feeling, with those "fingers" evocative of everything from waves to flames. And with marvelous bright blue enameled interior and underside. I would be very very glad to keep this one for myself.
4 1/4" l x 3 1/8" w x 2 1/2" t. Beautiful believe antique condition, very rich patina to the bronze (you can see by comparing to the underside), top fits over bottom seamlessly, such that it feels much more of a whole object than a box. Just a tiny bit of spotting to the surface at the narrow end, as documented with magnification, very minor.
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