Hand-Carved Chinese Sandalwood Card Holder. 19th Century. Very Good Condition

Hand-Carved Chinese Sandalwood Business Card Holder. 19th Century. Very Good Condition

This beautiful carved Chinese business card holder, made of sandalwood, is a piece full of charm and delicacy, perfect for a very special gift. It is an antique business card holder, hand-carved and hollowed out from a single piece of this aromatic wood. Despite its great age (it was made in the 19th century), the card holder is in excellent condition.

The front of the card holder is lavishly decorated with hand-carved motifs. Most of the surface is covered by an intricate background of flowers, leaves, and stems that intertwine to create a highly decorative design. Among the plants and leaves, large, delicately carved camellias stand out. Against this background, in the center of the piece, there is an oval mandorla containing a carving depicting a scene of local life. It features three male figures.

One of the figures is seated behind a small fence, while the other two are standing and carrying bundles. All of them are in the shade of a large tree, next to a house with a traditional roof. On the reverse side of the cardholder, the oval motif is repeated with a very similar scene inside, but the rest of the surface is smooth and uncarved, except for the center of the lid. Here we can see another low relief carved into the wood, depicting the figure on the left side of the lower scene.

A piece that belongs in any collection of Chinese antiques.

Dimensions: Width: 6.5 cm. Height: 10.5 cm.