Gilding in 24K gold highlights the rim, scrollwork and central lu character, adding a richness to elements of this display piece. Denoting ‘status’, the large character’s sculptural 3D brush strokes rest on a wan or ‘ten thousand’ pattern connoting a long life, surrounded by the double coin motif symbolising prosperity.

Fu Lu Shou 福禄寿, or the Sanxing (三星 Three Stars), are gods of the three celestial bodies Jupiter, Mizar and Canopus, and the three characteristics of good fortune (Fu), status (Lu) and longevity (Shou) in Chinese folk beliefs. The term ‘fu lu shou’, and the display of the three figures, is common in Chinese society to indicate and attract these three attributes of a desirable life.

About the collection
The exoticism and lofty symbolism of oriental style, legacy of a millennia-old continuous civilisation, provides an opulent counterpoint to the restraint of contemporary aesthetics.