Pair of spring couplets. On blue. Single character for good luck on bottom, purple tinted. Two columns of characters on top. 15 cm bottom character and 89 cm long couplets. Overall width 15 cm. Legend: “Careful to the end, and compliant throughout, (we observe) the ritual of the three years (of mourning). We pursue distant memories and recall constantly with all our heart.
Donor:
Ilse Martin Fang
Collection place:
Beijing, Beijing municipality, Northern China
Verbatim coll. place:
Peking. Purchased at Chinese New Year’s market.
Culture or time period:
Chinese
Collector:
Ilse Martin Fang
Collection date:
1942
Materials:
Paper (fiber product)
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
5.3 Objects relating to the Secular and Quasi-religious Rites, Pageants, and Drama
Accession date:
December 15, 1998
Context of use:
Pair of spring couplets to be posted on door posts. Here on blue for a family in mourning. The single character for Good luck on bottom to be clipped off and pasted diagonally over lintel. The two columns of characters on top to be cut apart.
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Comment:
Only one piece observed during inventory 1/23/2014 L. Beyer