long chinese dadao execution ''sword'' ?

[Peter Dekker]

Ha, wonderful! I had seen the motif before but had not been able to find its meaning. Do you have a good reference on Vietnamese symbology?

Nice piece that ceremonial pole arm. The jian is purely Ming, with that open pommel. Quite nice how Vietnam retained earlier Chinese design features that fell out of use in China.

[Ren Ren]

Originally Posted by Peter Dekker

Ha, wonderful! I had seen the motif before but had not been able to find its meaning. Do you have a good reference on Vietnamese symbology?

In Russian there is a good book "The Magic World of Patterns. Encyclopedia of Ornamental Motifs of Southeast Asia" (edition of the State Museum of Oriental Art) and an excellent article by the famous ethnographer Y. V. Chesnov "The myth of the sword and the beginning of statehood in East Indochina." About the symbolism of creepers, pumpkin and grapes shoots , I took from there. My friend Vladimir Vetyukov (Ph.D., his dissertation is devoted to the Vietnamese military of the Late Lê era) told me about the symbol of the sword and a bunch of books.

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by Ren Ren

the symbol of the sword and a bunch of books.

Yes

The Eight Precious Things often occur as decorative motives and sometimes individually as Chinese porcelain base marks. They are from top left; the Jewel or "pearl", the Cash coin, the Open Lozenge, the Pair of Books, the Solid Lozenge, the Musical Stone, the Pair of Horns and the Artemisia Leaf.


pair of books

[Ren Ren]

Originally Posted by Kubur

Yes

The Eight Precious Things often occur as decorative motives and sometimes individually as Chinese porcelain base marks. They are from top left; the Jewel or "pearl", the Cash coin, the Open Lozenge, the Pair of Books, the Solid Lozenge, the Musical Stone, the Pair of Horns and the Artemisia Leaf.
pair of books

This is a very interesting and rare version of the "Eight treasures" ornament (in Chinese 八寶 Ba bao). I think it was popular in the Ming era.
In part, it coincides with the Buddhist ornament "Eight treasures of the perfect king Chakravartin".

[Peter Dekker]

Hi,

Interesting set indeed. There are many sets of eight precious symbols in use, they seem to have standardized more towards the end of the Qing. The "Eight Buddhist Treasures" at least in Chinese art were somewhat more rigid in composition.