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Vintage Chinese-Style Brass Shou Longevity Ashtray / Decorative Catchall – 3.25"
A beautifully detailed vintage cast-brass personal ashtray featuring traditional Chinese longevity symbolism, with a vivid cinnabar-red colored center medallion and ornate pierced openwork around the rim.
THE CENTRAL CHARACTER — 壽 / 寿 (SHÒU)
At the center is the traditional Chinese Shou character, associated with Longevity, Long Life, and Good Health. Shou is one of the most recognizable and revered auspicious symbols in Chinese decorative art and is traditionally used to express wishes for a long, fortunate life.
CRANES & PINE TREES
The openwork brass rim features cranes flying and perched among stylized, gnarled pine branches.
Both motifs carry strong longevity symbolism in traditional Chinese art. The crane is associated with immortality and long life, while the evergreen pine represents endurance, resilience, and vitality through the changing seasons.
SŌNG HÈ YÁN NIÁN — dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">The combination of pine and crane is traditionally associated with the classical auspicious theme “Song He Yan Nian” (松鹤延年), expressing the blessing:
“May the Pine and Crane extend your life.”
This pairing has long appeared in Chinese decorative arts as a visual wish for longevity, health, endurance, and continued prosperity.
CINNABAR-RED COLOR & GEOMETRIC BORDER
The central medallion has a striking cinnabar-red COLOR — this describes the rich traditional red tone and is not intended to identify the material as actual cinnabar.
Red is strongly associated in Chinese visual culture with vitality, happiness, celebration, and good fortune.
Surrounding the Shou character is a continuous geometric key / fret-style border, often called a meander or leiwen-style pattern, visually reinforcing the sense of continuity and repetition within the overall longevity theme.
BEYOND TOBACCIANA
Although originally designed as a small personal ashtray, its compact 3.25" size also makes it especially versatile as decorative vintage decor.
Beautifully suited for use or display as:
• Ring dish
• Jewelry catchall
• Vanity coin dish
• Trinket tray
• Desktop paperweight
• Incense cone burner
• Meditation or altar accent
• Feng Shui decor
• Chinoiserie accent
• Asian-inspired brass decor
• Vintage collectible
Its rich brass finish and symbolic design also work beautifully alongside Hollywood Regency, Chinoiserie, eclectic, maximalist, bohemian, and globally inspired interiors.
DETAILS
• Approx. 3.25" diameter
• Cast brass construction
• Cinnabar-red colored center medallion
• Shou 壽 / 寿 longevity character
• Crane and pine tree openwork imagery
• Song He Yan Nian / Pine & Crane longevity theme
• Geometric key / fret border
• Integrated cigarette rests
• Unmarked / maker unknown
• Exact country and date of manufacture unknown
CONDITION
Vintage condition with age-appropriate surface wear, scratches, oxidation, darker recessed patina, and natural variation to the brass. These characteristics give the piece an attractive aged appearance and help emphasize the detailed openwork design.
The vivid red center remains especially eye-catching.
Please review all photographs closely for the most accurate representation of condition.
A distinctive small brass piece for collectors of Chinese auspicious symbolism, Shou longevity motifs, crane and pine imagery, vintage brass, Feng Shui decor, Chinoiserie, Hollywood Regency accents, Asian decorative arts, or meaningful vintage objects.
