Stone weight (or child's tether?), 19th century, 5 1/2 x 10 3/16 x 10 3/16 in. ( x x cm), Stone, China, 19th century, This unusual stone sculpture features a lion atop a square base with foliate corners. The base is carved in low relief on top with four bats surrounding a stylized Chinese character shou or longevity. In ancient China, craftsmen often used word-puns and loaded homonyms in creating their works of art. The rebus in this context is the combination of a spoken word and a visual image, whose name is pronounced in the same fashion as an auspicious term.

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Size: 5164px × 3951px
Location:
Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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