Page 107 - Yamanaka co Auction catalog
P. 107
No. 180
ANTIQUE CHINESE BIRDCAGES
That the following group of birdcages is a remarkable one needs no em-
phasis-hardly the statement-for in the first glance is recognition. What is
not instantly perceptible, however, amid the lavishness of the ornamentation
bestowed upon them, is the Significance, the attention to minute detail, and
the multiplicity, in the varied beauties of this ornamentation. To offer the
suggestion-indeed the assurance-that they may be examined with confidence
of finding at any turn fresh thoughts and imaginative dreams of the artist-
workmen who made them is the only purpose of this note. They may be
studied like porcelains, bronzes and fabrics of Cathay; for Taoist legend,
Buddhist symbolism, song and story, the supreme wishes for length of days
and happiness, the flora and fanna of the Flowery Kingdom and the conven-
tions of its decorative art were wrought equally for these beautiful bird
homes. Their expression will be found both in the equipment and the decora-
tion of the cages; of the Chinese appreciation of birds and consideration for
birds a hint is given in the introduction.
