On 19th February 2022, the 19th day in the Lunar year of the Tiger, Lotus on Water galleries celebrated Chinese New Year. Mr Pino DE Giosa (P), who features in the Museum in Lotus 莲中博物 documentary series, together with Ashley Sim (A), help us appreciate the rare antiques that was used in the re-blessing ceremony.
Let us spend some time to appreciate these artefacts, and understand how they add value to the re-blessing ceremony and bring even more huatness to our Lotus on Water galleries.
A: Hello everybody, welcome online and welcome to Lotus on Water galleries re-blessing ceremony! I am Ashley and together with me, we have the antique expert, Mr Pino. Hello Mr Pino!
P: Thank you very much, It is a pleasure to be here with you and for a special occasion as tonight, we really have a unique and original re-blessing ceremony.
A: Yes! Thanks very much, so how are you feeling Mr Pino? This is our second time hosting such a segment together, right?
P: Very well. And yes, it is the second time we are hosting together. How are you?
A: I am feeling awesome because I know the re-blessing ceremony this time round is a new level-up from all our past events.
P: Yes.
A: For every single event, Master Yun and his team curates new ideas and finds new ways to help their customers reach another higher level of prosperity and elegance. The reason we are standing outside today is because we are going to introduce some antiques to our online audience through your expertise and do a close up on the Heart Sutra seals.
P: Fantastic. We are going to start with this beautiful Chinese table from the 19th century, from 1801 to 1889, within the Qing Dynasty (清代). It is a very interesting one. Now as we see the structure is relatively simple. It has a rectangular shape on the front, a gentle curve on the side, and a very fine column at the bottom.
P: Its predominantly black and reason why it is black is because it has beautifier lacquer applied, which must be layered at least 14 to 15 times. On top of this, we have an amazingly beautiful scenery. The level of detail make it look almost like a painting. When we look at the sculptures we notice dignitaries and aristocrats. Each one and every one is adorned in beautiful attire and mostly painted in gold. And if we look closely, these are slightly raised. Look at their faces!
P: If you take a look at the mountains, it is even more evident that they have been embossed. Now what else do we see in the dignitaries? Their beautiful attires are mostly in gold, which contrasts very beautifully against the dark coloured lacquer. Also, gold evokes a sense of exuberance.
A: Prosperity, and wealth!
P: Yes, now what else do we see? We see very common elements in the paintings of the Chinese during these centuries. Take a look at these beautiful trees.
A: Oh yes, I call these Chinese trees because I do not know what they are specifically called in English, but these are kind of trees we often see in Chinese paintings and calligraphy.
P: Absolutely right, then we see rocks.
A: And the prominent roof tops of palaces.
P:Yes, then we also see the repetition of houses from the other side. Notice how the figures are all standing on land and the background is basically black, which is representation of water. We need to understand what the symbol of water means for the Chinese.
A: Money?
P: It means money!
A: Which I love a lot! Apart from my husband, of course.
P: So again it is all about prosperity, it is all about the good vibes and a wonderful calming scenery.
A: Right, so Mr Pino, I assume such a table would belong to a wealthy family.
P: Extremely wealthy family.
A: And this is the table that Master Yun will be using later for the re-blessing ceremony. I shall not reveal too much details now, but we will be using stamping some seals.
P: Yes
A: Let me show you something interesting. Would you mind helping me hold the microphone?
(A opens the box of seals)
P: Amazing.
A: Absolutely! This is one of the five boxes that contain the full collection of Heart Sutra seals. In Buddhism, the Heart Sutra is also known as the heart of the perfection of wisdom sutra. Buddhists believe that chanting this sutra will bring you mindfulness, calmness, and helps to remove obstacles in life. Replacing negativity with a more calm and peaceful mind will in turn attract more prosperity and elegance.
Special thanks to Mr Pino and Ashley Sim for the knowledge and guidance.
