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located just to the left of central hole. The neck of the dragon is shaped like an "S" while its body is coiled upwards of its head. Unlike other
Chinese numismatic charms which depict two seasons open-work charms that depict two Chinese dragons rarely have them face each other but more often have them chase each others tails. In many cases the two dragons appear to be fighting over a pearl which could be the wish-granting pearl from the Chinese
75:"The occult powers ascribed in China in all times and ages to charms and spells may be said to have no limit. It puts in the foreront an important tenet: Words are no idle sounds, characters or penstrokes are not mere ink or paint, but they constitute or produce the reality which they represent. And whereas any desired magical effect may be expressed in word or writing, charms and spells can effect everything." - H.A. Ramsden
515:) depict young heterosexual couples displaying affection to each other in a form of courtship, the young female is often seen carrying flowers while the top of these open-work charms features crescent moons and clouds, while the male figure often points at the moon with his left hand, these images form a visualisation of the ancient Chinese saying "to be in front of the flowers and under the moon" (花前月下,
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of flowers. In the poem the
Empress said that she would come to the garden again after one day and that all the flowers there were to bloom and were not to wait until springtime. The next morning all flowers except for the peony were in bloom, while the peony stubbornly disobeyed the order. Wu Zetian was enraged and allegedly gave the order that all the peonies in
432:) use them as inspiration for their styles of dance and art. Like with many other open-work charms that depict animals those that depict peacocks display them in pairs, peacocks represent a desire for peace and prosperity and may also be used to represent fertility as the ancient Chinese people believed that a single glance from a peacock could
152:, for example there is an open-work charm which displays four stories from "The Twenty-Four Examples of Filial Piety", in these stories examples are given of how children should obey their parents and respect the elderly which are all central themes of Confucianism. These open-work charms are also part of a larger family of
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There is a rare open-work charm which illustrates two males standing across from each other with a fish facing the right at the bottom of the charm and a battle shield between the tops of the two men at the top. The traditional explanation of the depicted scene and its hidden meaning is that it shows
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drinking at winter time while she was in the
Imperial Flower Garden. As she was admiring the snow, the story tells that she was also intrigued by the smell of the winter flowers that were in bloom that day. As the story goes the Emlress wrote a poem and sent it to the Chinese God that was in charge
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were to be banished, while those peony trees that refused her order would br burned to a crisp. Over time the reputation of the flower changed and peonies became a symbol for longevity, everlasting physical beauty, loyalty, and being happy. Peonies could also be used to symbolise wealth as the way
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are often used as a theme for open-work charms with the vast majority of dragon themed open-work charms depicting two dragon, while amulets with a single dragon are less frequently seen. An example of an open-work charm with only a single
Chinese dragon has the dragon is facing left with its head
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they tend to have tail feathers in even numbers (as even numbers represent yin while odd numbers represent yang). Open-work charms that display fenghuang also tend to be on the larger side (for example 58 millimeters in diameter) and also being both thick and heavy. In
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leaping over the Dragon Gate to become a mythical
Chinese dragon (鯉魚跳龍門) which is used to illustrate that persistently investing effort is needed to overcome an obstacle, in this context it alludes to the case of those who wish to move up the ranks as officials in the
499:(楚漢相爭), in this interpretation the two men are fighting each other and the stances they take are hostile positions of two soldiers using their fists, while the fish in this interpretation represents the river where the battle occurred.
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There is an ancient open work-charm which depicts either a man or a woman fishing. The human is on the right side of the charm while the fish on the left. The fish symbolises prosperity because the
Mandarin Chinese word for fish (魚,
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The ancient
Chinese people believed that charms and amulets with certain symbols on them could attract good luck and protect them from all fortune and malicious spirits, for this reason many open-work charms display themes from
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design elements and may portray both figures and concepts from those religions. Open-work charms may also feature a combination of various symbols such as lotus flowers and fish or dragons and fenghuang on the same charm.
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standing besides a deer and a tortoise, both of these are associated with longevity as well with the deer having an extra association with wealth and attaining a high rank because the
Mandarin Chinese word for "deer" (鹿,
321:), which was the highest civil official. For this reason an open-work charm depicting two lions and a cash coin could symbolise the wish for high ranks and wealth to be passed down from one generation to the next.
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symbolise a wish for good fortune, longevity, charity, prosperity, and for benevolences to befall the wearer. Qilins are depicted as having a dragon-like head and a deer-like body but with scales instead of fur.
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Open-work charms that depict two dragons chasing each other head to tail are the most commonly found design, the reason for this is because dragons are immune to magic spells and can't be harmed by them.
461:). Above the tortoise there is an "auspicious cloud" (祥雲) which is located just below the round center hole, clouds on Chinese numismatic charms are associated with good fortune because they’re a
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Variants of these lotus charms that depict a lotus pod filled with seeds could also be worn in the hopes that they will improve fertility as the
Mandarin Chinese word for "lotus seed" (蓮籽,
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blooming, the peony could symbolise various things, one symbolism of the peony flower is that it stands for rebellion and resistance where it is associated with the story of
Empress
285:). And as the Mandarin Chinese word for "fish" is a pun for "abundance", the hidden or implied meaning of the depicted images on this open-work charm is an abundance of wealth.
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the fenghuang is considered to be a symbol of goodness because it eats no living thing, for this reason open-work charms depicting fenghuang were commonly worn by Buddhists.
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An example of an open-work charm depicting a Chinese immortal and several animals believed to bring "good luck" is one that contains the immortal associated with longevity
277:. Another possible hidden meaning of this same open-work charm is that the human represented in the coin may in fact be female. The Mandarin Chinese word for "woman" (婦,
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symbolise a detachment from worldly cares due to the manner the flower which is perceived to be beautiful to emerge from the pond's muck. Due to the fact that the
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a human woman. Peacocks displayed in pairs on open-work charms symbolise an affectionate couple that fly side-by-side in love with each other.
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people doing intense labour hoping that it’ll bring them prosperity. An alternative explanation is that this charm actually depicts the
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Amulett in Durchbruchtechnik - vermutlich Ming Dynastie - Av: Drache links, Phoenix rechts - Rv: Phoenix links, Drache rechts
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132:(壽), this open-work charm is a play on the popular Chinese saying "five fortunes surround longevity" (五福捧壽,
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Amulett in Durchbruchtechnik - vermutlich Song Dynastie - Beidseitig : Zwei Fische, zwei Lotusblüten
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301:) with one lion being above and one lion being below, the treasure they’re playing with could be a
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as well have other depictions that are ascribed to have auspicious abilities in Chinese symbolism.
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Chinese numismatic charm § Implied and hidden meanings of Chinese numismatic charms
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384:. An example of an open-work charm with a pavilion in its design possibly depicts the "
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457:) sounds like the Mandarin Chinese term for "the salary of a government official" (祿,
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Open-work charms depicting pavilions and temples first started appearing during the
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Chinese open-work charms that display imagery of flowers and vines usually display
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are much less commonly seen than those that depict Chinese dragons. Fenghuang in
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An open-work charm depicting a person on the left side and a fish on the right.
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Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)
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which symbolises "wealth". Because the Mandarin Chinese word for "lion" (獅,
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This is the page where I will be mostly experimenting with the thematics of
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are generally believed to have been cast in what today is the province of
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are symbols of "peace" and "joy", as fenghuang are seen as a symbol of
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could be seen. It is believed that the people in this charm represent
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which like the other animals and Xiwangmu is a symbol for longevity.
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349:) while the latter could be used to represent the word "harmony" (和,
268:). The fish on this open-work charm also alludes to an allegory of a
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Amulett in Durchbruchtechnik - Beidseitig : Vier Lotusblüten
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Open-work charms that feature the design of a lotus according to
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Examples of symbolism in the different themes of open-work charms
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C.A.S. Williams - Outlines of Chinese Symbolism and Art Motives.
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often have two lions playing with some form of treasure (雙獅戲寶,
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I still have no idea what symbolism is on this Open-work Charm.
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Amulett in Durchbruchtechnik - Beidseitig : Zwei Drachen
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Kainz, C. Chinesischen Tempelmünzen. Published in 1895. (in
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by Dr. Yi and Ralf Thomann. Retrieved: 09 August 2018. (in
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by Dr. Yi and Ralf Thomann. Retrieved: 09 August 2018. (in
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by Dr. Yi and Ralf Thomann. Retrieved: 09 August 2018. (in
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by Dr. Yi and Ralf Thomann. Retrieved: 09 August 2018. (in
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Some open-work charms (which were usually manufactured in
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has two different names in Mandarin Chinese, namely "蓮花" (
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while outside of the building two men are seen playing
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