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| Detail of carved bat. |
Congratulations to Rosemary and to Mariette for correctly identifying the Mystery Object as a thread winder or spool. These wooden winders are two to four inches long, while smaller ones, beautifully worked from mother of pearl, often resemble game counters. Winders are often adorned with flowers, butterflies, fish, or geometric shapes, although readers here can readily imagine that I was pleased to find the bat motif.
This
winder has a pattern of two bats on each end, facing a peach, the symbol of
longevity. As the Hattatts reminded us, bats are a Chinese symbol of good
fortune, so although I know of no special connection to thread or sewing, it is
not surprising to see this figure turn up.
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The
reverse of the winder shows a repeat of the same pattern.
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I was lucky enough to acquire an additional example of these bat-carved thread winders. This other one is somewhat different. The spool section is deeper, and the carving is open or pierced. There are only two bats on each side, facing the center, and their auspicious symbolism is augmented by that of the coin placed in the middle.
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| As before, the carving on the back duplicates that on the front. Note that the coin has changed into a longevity symbol. |
It
is difficult to decide which one I like better—the second example is quite
graceful with its openwork filigree, but the solid first one, with eight bats
in total, has to have one of the highest bats-per-square-inch ratios for an
object its size. They both show signs of considerable use, and the gilding on
each is almost gone. They must have been quite dazzling when new, although
possibly I prefer their current worn and patinated condition.
Reader
Dianne in the original post mentioned Bat Conservation International, and I had
a fascinating time perusing their site. I strongly recommend taking a look at their website to learn more about actual bats and about the various problems, natural
and human, that currently threaten them.
(All photos and original objects property of the author.)
Don't mention bats to me...I had quite a scare one night when one got into my bedroom while I was sleeping. It was a very hot night in summer and I had opened a screen less window. My husband was travelling and I was alone. The shrieks (from both of us!). Luckily I remembered to turn off the lights and completely open the window whilst screaming at the top of my lungs. The bat will start flying from one wall to the another, each time lower, until it finally finds the opening.
ReplyDeleteThus my choice would be the second. Less bats! Seriously, I think its gorgeous and find their "auspicious symbolism" quite charming. They are both keepers though. One of the things I love most about the Chinese is their use of symbols in everyday objects.
Hello Lindaraxa, I can imagine that must have been quite an experience with the real bats flying around.The Bat Conservation site had a video on how to get bats out of buildings--you might want to bookmark it in case there is a next time.
DeleteNot all Chinese objects are elaborately decorated, but you are right about how the symbolism tends to show up on everyday objects, in addition to special or ritual ones.
I agree. Bats are a bit strange - they hang upside down, they make horrible noises, their sleeping pattern is backwards and they ruin fruit crops. So we might ask ourselves why the bat is a Chinese symbol of good fortune. Normally a society would select something beautiful and sleek eg a jaguar, eagle, lion, peacock.
DeleteHello Hels, Although some people do consider bats to be graceful and useful, the reason they are so prominent in Chinese art is that the word for bat sounds like ones meaning prosperity, wealth or luck. Thus by association bats became a lucky augury. Many compositions involving bats can be interpreted as rebuses for expressions of good wishes.
DeleteDear Jim - I began to suspect that my answer might be correct when my comment did not appear, but it was a complete guess on my part - I couldn't think of anything else.
ReplyDeleteBoth thread winders are delightful, I would not know which one to choose given the choice.
Hello Rosemary, I agree with you that it is difficult to choose between these--that is why I got both of them! (Not together, though. I just checked, and I bought them two years apart.)
DeleteDearest Jim,
ReplyDeleteThat was a great mistery object and I too got the idea I would have given the right answer as it did not get published. Love both of them; they are unique each in their own way and bats don't scare me at all. In our garden we do have bat houses and in the summer they fly over our heads quite often. They are very useful insect eaters.
Hugs to you and have a special weekend!
Mariette
Hello Mariette, You seemed to recognize the thread winder precisely. With the beautiful gardens and grounds of your house, having some bats around must be a real advantage, both for their beauty, especially in flight, and for their insect control.
DeleteMakes total sense now!!! That was fun. Hope you have more mystery objects to come. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteHello Loi, Thanks, and don't worry--the supply of oddities seems almost endless.
DeleteOf course! I love the craftsmanship and beauty of such a practical object. Sewing with love. They are both wonderful. I learned a bit about bats last year, because there's been a terrible disease killing the bats in NY. Also there is a terrific long essay on them in Diane Ackerman's book Moon by Whale Light.
ReplyDeleteHello Jen, It is wonderful how much Chinese tradition has been incorporated in these small objects. Western antiques related to sewing often show beautiful workmanship also--think antique thimbles, for example.
DeleteThanks for the recommendation. I added the Ackerman book to The List; it's time I became acquainted with this writer.
Ahah! Mystery solved, and it makes sense. I suppose they could be used for winding in the spool of a kite's thread too?
ReplyDeleteYou really jogged my memory. I can recall the small, flat spools of string that came with cheap paper kites when we were little. I suppose that real kite aficionados used ones that were more capacious and three-dimensional.
DeleteHello Jim:
ReplyDeleteFirst, thank you so much for the link which is most kind.
Thread winders! We had absolutely no idea and are now completely fascinated that such items, with a practical application, were [maybe still are] produced with such care and attention to detail to transform them into things of great beauty.
During the years we were in Herefordshire, close to the Welsh March, we had bats living in the roof of the house. They are, as you will doubtless know, a protected species and on that account could not be disturbed. The colony never bothered us at all but, on occasion, our cats would catch young ones alive which they then would bring indoors. Always something of a problem to then deal with!
Kellemes húsvéti únnepeket!
Hello Jane and Lance, Happy Easter to you, too. I had totally lost track of the calendar, else I would have included a more general Easter/Passover/Thai-Khmer New Year greeting.
DeleteI envy your living in Herefordshire, and would like to hear more about what it was like. I imagine it as a scenic and bucolic paradise, but perhaps the actual experience involved a different perspective.
Ahhhhh, of course it is Jim. I love a good mystery, especially when such a beautiful, useful object is the solution.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend.
Di
X
Hello Di, I love these mysteries too. I am just as happy when the result is merely interesting or even edgy, but then it turns out that those objects are beautiful too when looked at in the right way.
DeleteHi, Jim,
ReplyDeleteBoth of the thread winders are very handsome, and I like their patina. It's hard to choose a favorite, but I lean towards the second one. The Colomnist's comment reminded me that I used bigger versions of your mystery objects when I flew kites as a child, though they certainly didn't have this style!
Hi Mark, I remember those string reels also. When I photographed these, I included a centimeter scale, which I cropped out for these posts, so they might appear somewhat larger than they are on most screens. Still, it wouldn't surprise me if these were sometimes (or often) used for kites--the trick now would be to find an old Chinese kite with the string reel still attached!
DeleteHello Jim,
ReplyDeleteI am only now discovering that you are not only a thoughtful blog commenter, having commented on my own blog, but you're a blogger too! My heavens, where have I been? I have just added you to my blog list so as not to miss any future posts.
I adore your thread winders and I've never seen anything like them. You would think I would having grown up a daughter of a Savile Row tailor!
Hello Chronica Domus, Thank you for your kind words. Since coming to Taiwan, I have been discovering all kinds of new things.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that your father was a Savile Row tailor--I hope that we might hear more about him on your blog. I imagine that some of his thread spools resembled these, in shape if not in decoration. --Jim
Yes, I suppose I really should do a post on my father. He just retired last year (finally!), but somehow can't help himself and still practices his art every now and then.
DeleteHello Jim,
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what the winders were--and very surprised to hear they are thread winders. To me they looked like door pulls, and reminded me of some antique door pulls I bought for an old dresser here at our Victorian house.
It's fascinating seeing your collectables, and your post was a good quiz. I enjoyed it.
They are a wonderful spicy tomato red and I adore the bat carvings. Seeing them makes me wanting more information.
The word "thread" really threw me reading everyone's replies who associate the words "thread winder" with sewing versus others who guessed them to be a tool for flying kites. I confess I'm confused . . . is it for storage sewing thread/embroidery floss, or kite flying? Can you tell me more? How old are they? Great post Jim.
Hello Mrs. D., Thank you for these kind and thoughtful comments. These winders definitely are for sewing or embroidery thread. The reels for kite string are considerably larger. I can see the source of the confusion, though--the pictures here are enlarged to show detail and fit the screen better.
DeleteYour drawer pulls strongly resemble these bat-shaped winders, and that might have been part of their design history. My earlier post on bats mentions their influence on hardware design:
http://roadtoparnassus.blogspot.tw/2011/10/bats-terror-of-night-or-omen-of-good.html
That beautiful red color is often found in Chinese antiques, often made richer by the patina of age. --Jim
Happy New Year, dearest and loyal friend. I hope you will come back to blogging in 2015. We miss you. xxoox J
ReplyDeleteThank you indeed for such kind words and encouragement. I have every hope that I will be able to resume operations pretty soon. Take care, and Happy New Year to you, too.
DeleteJim
What remarkable objects (that I never knew about) and the shout out to bats is important. Much maligned, they are invaluable. I had a house next to an old bridge over a river. The underside was covered in bats. We never had any problems with mosquitos thanks to them. Once in a while they would sneak in the house and we would tear around trying to catch the dear little things. They are fragile and lovely up close and personal. Releasing them, watching them rejoin the nightly bat ballets as they twirl and swoop in the air-- a great pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments on LostPast. They are much appreciated.
Hello Deana, I love these carved bats, so common in Chinese art (perhaps you saw my earlier post on them), and agree with you that living bats are indeed exquisite creatures. There used to be a lot of them it Taipei, but lately I have seen very few; I know there are all kinds of pressure on the bat population--disease, lost of habitat, etc. --Jim
Delete