Blue & White Chinoiserie Handpainted Ginger Jar - Dieties Motif

An excellent example of hand-painted artisan pottery, this lovingly painted specimen showcases beautiful female deities, admiring a flower garden. It is no accident that the women are depicted in numbers of three. In most Chinese and Asian culture, the symbolism of the number 3 is considered extremely lucky.  The number three is pronounced similar to the Chinese word for life, or "to live", and is therefore considered a good number. It is also significant as it embodies the three important stages in a person’s life (birth, marriage, and death), as well as Three Ancient Moral Guidelines. You may notice 3 in such traditional entities as the "The Three Wise Monkeys" (Japan) who hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, the 3 Elements, the Holy Trinity (in Hinduism and Christianity), and in Buddhism - The Three Jewels and The Three Cardinal Faults. It is believed that groups of 3 in Chinese culture are even luckier.  History of Chinoiserie Traditional and wildly popular since the 1700's, C