Period:Qing dynasty Production date:18thC-19thC
Materials:brass
Technique:cast
Dimensions:Diameter: 45 millimetres Weight: 20.44 grammes
Description:
Brass charm. Round with round hole in the middle. (whole)
IMG
![图片[1]-coin; charm BM-Webster.163-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/Qin dynasty/Miscellaneous objects/mid_00032659_001.jpg)
![图片[2]-coin; charm BM-Webster.163-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/Qin dynasty/Miscellaneous objects/mid_00820781_001.jpg)
Comments:Label for ‘A Kind of Magic’: ‘This charm was intended for use in driving away evil or disease. The inscription reads ‘drive out evil, and let good fortune come’. On the right is Zhong Kui, the famous demon-chaser, holding up his tablet of honour. He is chasing the spider, one of the Five Poisons. The Five Poisons are the lizard, the snake, the spider, the scorpion and the three-legged toad. These all feature on the back of the charm (not shown), together with the tiger, renowned for its powers in chasing away demons. The tradition of using charms in the shape of coins dates back about 2,000 years to the Han dynasty, and maybe even earlier. Coins, as money, represent power, and in traditional Chinese thought, the key function of a coin was to circulate. In this way, this coin-shaped charm can be seen as a very compact form of power, packed with symbolism, with far-reaching powers.’ Compare Alex Chengyu Fang, “Chinese Charms: Art, Religion and Folk Belief”, Commercial Press, Beijing, 2008, ISBN 978-7-100-05832-2, p. 96, no. 59.
Materials:brass
Technique:cast
Dimensions:Diameter: 45 millimetres Weight: 20.44 grammes
Description:
Brass charm. Round with round hole in the middle. (whole)
IMG
Comments:Label for ‘A Kind of Magic’: ‘This charm was intended for use in driving away evil or disease. The inscription reads ‘drive out evil, and let good fortune come’. On the right is Zhong Kui, the famous demon-chaser, holding up his tablet of honour. He is chasing the spider, one of the Five Poisons. The Five Poisons are the lizard, the snake, the spider, the scorpion and the three-legged toad. These all feature on the back of the charm (not shown), together with the tiger, renowned for its powers in chasing away demons. The tradition of using charms in the shape of coins dates back about 2,000 years to the Han dynasty, and maybe even earlier. Coins, as money, represent power, and in traditional Chinese thought, the key function of a coin was to circulate. In this way, this coin-shaped charm can be seen as a very compact form of power, packed with symbolism, with far-reaching powers.’ Compare Alex Chengyu Fang, “Chinese Charms: Art, Religion and Folk Belief”, Commercial Press, Beijing, 2008, ISBN 978-7-100-05832-2, p. 96, no. 59.
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![[Qing Dynasty] British female painter—Elizabeth Keith, using woodblock prints to record China from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China—1915-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-191x300.png)
