Antique Hand Carved Sandalwood Card Holder. China, 19th Century

Antique hand-carved sandalwood card holder, wonderfully preserved and extremely beautiful. This piece was made in China in the 19th century and has survived to our days in great condition. The card holder draws our attention because of its gorgeous decoration that covers the whole piece externally. The high-relief motives create traditional scenes that hide a lot of small figures performing different tasks in an exuberant landscape. The carvers skilful work gives life to a lovely decoration with a great attention to detail. The card holder shows a main scene composed by smaller pictures, all of them interrelated. The woods surface shows a series of houses with a lot of windows, railings, roofs and terraces with leafy trees standing between them, their branches bending down. In the buildings, a series of figures perform different tasks: talk to each other, shake hands, trade, eat Everything takes place in a relaxed atmosphere that exudes calm. The deep carved reliefs create beautiful shadows, the different levels of depth being part of the composition. The wood is also relevant in the decoration and provides a fine reddish color to the scenes. The large amount of details reflected in the scenes is highly remarkable: the bricks of some walls, the roofs with their tiles, the railings columns, the different positions of the characters The card holders small size enhances the attractiveness of the details and turns them into delicate elements. The card holder is composed of two parts: the holder itself and the lid, both made of hollow wood and probably obtained from the same piece. This antique card holder is an extremely delicate item, a very special piece worthy of a great collector. Measurements: Width: 2.7 in / 7 cm. Height: 4.3 in / 11 cm.