A Pair of 19th Century Porcelain Bottle Vases

A pair of late 19th century porcelain bottle vases, the necks with red and blue glazes upon turquoise grounds, the bulbous bodies decorated with stylised long grasses.

In Japan, bamboo symbolises prosperity and is believed to ward off evil. The giant grass is the fastest growing plant on earth, creating an obvious parallel to personal growth. Further to this, bamboo is a firmly rooted, but flexible plant, useful yet simplistic, strong and delicate at the same time forging even more metaphors to valued characteristics.