Gilt Shou Plate

Selective gilding in 24K gold adds a luxurious accent to this display plate. Shou, the character for longevity, is rendered as a 3D brush stroke set against a repeating pattern of the ancient character for ‘ten thousand’ wan, signifying a long life. Peaches, symbolising immortality, surround the central character.

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.