A duan stone 'carp leaping the dragon gate' screen


Qing Dynasty The finely carved rectangular duan plaque depicting a carp jumping through a gate amidst waves and rocks, beneath a dragon in the clouds chasing a pearl, fitted wood stand carved with ruyi scrolls.30cm (11 4/5in) high (2).
|Provenance: a distinguished English private collectionThe theme of carp and dragons, as in the present lot, originates from a legend that a carp which could leap the falls of the Yellow River at Dragon Gate would be transformed into a dragon. The motif thus became synonymous with hopes for success or victory.