CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, XVIIIEME-XIXEME SIECLE

Such objects were often made as accoutrements for a scholar’s studio. This auspicious imagery is symbolic of the mythical legend of the carp reaching the upper courses of the Yellow River and leaping up the rapids at Dragon Gate where it transforms into a dragon. This feat is compared to success in the state examinations and the transformation from carp to dragon symbolising a promotion to the highest rank as an official.