18TH-19TH CENTURY

The imagery on the present washer forms a combination of auspicious wishes. The double lozenge (fangsheng) is one of the Eight Treasures (babao) and one of the Hundred Treasures (baibao). This auspicious emblem forms a pun for victory, and is also considered to have demon-dispelling capabilities. The boys supporting the vessel symbolize a wish for many sons, and the lingzhi held in their hands is emblematic of longevity.

A similar white-jade double-lozenge washer with boy supporters, but with bird-head handles with rings, is in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, gift of Heber Bishop, 1902, and is illustrated in D. Leidy, W. Siu and J. Watt, Chinese Decorative Arts, New York, 1997, p. 24.