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Chinese Carved Gourd Cricket Cage and a Modeled Cricket

$875
£668.98
€770.53
CA$1,226.14
A$1,368.87
CHF 717.27
MX$16,756.36
NOK 9,109.33
SEK 8,588.94
DKK 5,750.58
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About the Item

This is a very noticeable and expensive hobby in the Chinese culture for keeping crickets as pets in a small cage. It can be traced beginning in China as early as the Tang dynasty, (618-907). By their chirping "songs", crickets were caught at the end of summer and kept in ornate cages throughout the winter, often placed on the bedside. The slender form of this late 19th-century cricket cage indicates it was designed to be portable, carried around in a pocket, or strung on a waistband. The original carved hardwood lid dates to the early 20th century and is protected by a brass wire net (it might be added later). The dried gourd body is carved on the surface depicting a dragon chasing a fireball, a symbol of power and reputation. In addition to the Gourd Cage, there is a live-modelled Cricket made of metal. It can be placed into the cage. The metal cricket possibly was made around the 1960s.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 5 in (12.7 cm)Diameter: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    late 19th - early 20th Century
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Norton, MA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU5848239986442

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