Wine cooler

Fish: A Symbol of Abundance

The Chinese have displayed fish motifs on decorative arts in every dynasty. Fresh water examples such as the carp, catfish, perch, and goldfish (depicted here) appear on a regular basis. The fish represents abundance; fish (yu) is a pun on another yu that means surplus. The popular imagery of fish swimming amongst the lotus expresses the desire for abundance. A common theme includes a pond teeming with fish to represent the desire for wealth and success. A fish's head is considered especially auspicious. It is always a delicacy at a New Year's banquet because fish head (yú tóu) can also be interpreted as "the beginning of wealth." Families also eat fish during New Year's celebrations to ensure that they will have an abundance of good wishes in the coming months.

HIDDEN MEANING: May your household be filled with gold and jade; or May you have a prosperous household (jinyu mantang).

This European export piece is for cooling wine and holding drinking glasses, but the Chinese artisans had no idea of its intended use. Because the shape of the vessel resembled a goldfish container, the artisan decorated the interior with goldfish. Goldfish (Jinyu) is a pun for "gold" (jin) and "jade" (yu) combined.

Goldfish in a pond (tang) or container conveys the sentiment: "May your household be filled with gold and jade," meaning a prosperous household (jinyu mantang). The pond (tang) is a pun for "hall" (tang), the family home.