These vessels are a response to seeing ancient Chinese money and portable weighing scales in a museum. My grandmother had owned a set so it triggered nostalgia.

 

I made thrown and altered pieces which became 'purses' and these represented the sleeves into which the scales would originally have been tucked. The images on them were taken from a book of traditional Chinese woodblock print new year posters.

 

The age old tradition at Chinese New Year is to to paste a new pair of posters on the front doors of the home to welcome in the new year and bring fortune and good luck. I wanted to combine this custom with the symbolism of wealth and fortune throughout history. Each purse is decorated to represent a different era of Chinese history.