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Household Shrine - Artifacts

Image Household Shrine
Copyright
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Description
Small Shrine Used For Community Organization, Business or Home Shrine consists of a stage like box with a carved decoration at the top. A wooden plaque which stands at the back and two electric candle lights. A: Altar made of red painted wood forming a platform at the bottom with short sides and a railing at the front. A tall box shaped back projects out to form a small roof which is attached to two carved columns on either side. A decorative frame around the top and sides. The altar sits on an attached wooden base which has a decorative front. The altar resembles a stage and is decorated on the frame and the front of the base with raised gold painted floral and vine like designs. At the top of the frame are four Chinese characters, Tang, Man, U, Jin which mean a Chinese idiom for " the household is full of money and treasures and people do not have to worry about the shortage of material life." Carved columns on either side of the frame have gold and green painted dragons which appear to wind around the column. The dragons eyes are painted black and white and they have clouds floating around their bodies. The railing at the front of the altar has four gold painted columns. The floor of the altar has black marks from burning incense and old wax droppings from dripping candles. B: Decorative fa?ade, 13.75" X 2.75", carved wood painted red on the front with a gold painted raised design of a flower and vines identical to the decoration on the front of the base. Decoration was originally nailed to the top of the shrine and has two nails remaining in the back and two large staples sticking out of the lower front on each side. C: Wooden plaque, 11.75" X 7", which stands upright at the back inside the e shrine altar. Painted red on the front and edges with gold painted Chinese characters running vertically in two columns. The Characters are on one side qian, hou, zhu, cai, shen or Front, back, landlord, Money. The other side is u, Fang, u, tu, long, shen or five directions, five grains Dragon god. On the front of the plaque there is a burn mark from an incense stick. There is a screw eye in the top center. Di: Two candle lights, H: 9", the light s have a base made of gold colored molded plastic in the shape of a candle holder that has four dragons on the sides a round base with lotus shaped decoration, a double bulbous shaped column that has Chinese characters raised on four sides. The top flares out and attached to this is an artificial candle which is made of red decorated paper encased in clear plastic that contains the socket for a light bulb. A decoration shows a green, white, and gold dragon surrounded by blue and yellow cloud and a green, gold, yellow and pink phoenix both of which surround stylized Chinese characters inside a ring. The bottom has a round plastic disk with a raised crest and "New night lighting mfg. Ltd." and Chinese characters below. "Made in China" printed in black on a silver sticker. A red electrical cord comes out from a black hole and runs from one candle holder to the other and another electrical cord runs from same holder which ends in a plug. Dii & iii:The glass bulbs are painted red and flame shaped. They have a gold colored threaded base. The number Diii glass is broken from the base. E: Stack of about 100 sheets of Spirit Money, H: 6", W: 5.5", inexpensive white paper with a rectangle of orange dye on the botton three quarters of the sheet. On top of this is stamped a red rectangular frame which has a design of half blossoms. In the center are three Chinese characters across the top one large one in the center flanked by two motifs resembling tortises. At the bottom is a large bat with characters on its wngs and under its body. On top of this stamp is square of gold leaf through which the red printing shows.
Object ID
1997.062.001