Tag Archives: unusual One Bam Mahjong

metrenYiQingbirdon tree2

This lovely work of art was done by Ren Yi who lived from 1840 until 1896, and it is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.You can see a bird with a crest on its head, perched on a tree branch. It is believed this is a kingfisher, also known as ribbon-tailed bird, prized for its beauty.

 

metShenNanpinQingtaughtinjapanbirdintree

This scroll, also in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, was painted by the Chinese artist Shen Nanpin who taught art in Japan during the Qing Dynasty. You can see the long tail feathers which give the bird its name.

On One Bams we usually see standing birds, or swooping birds, usually pheasants, peacocks, cranes and swallows. The following are more unusual birds.

 

bamboo-close-BB36

Above is a rare One Bam. We see a bird with a crest on a branch. It is not so dissimilar to the one above, and it is believed to be a kingfisher although the tail is not as long as we would expect.

 

DSC_0659 bird

This one above is also believed to be a kingfisher, sitting on a thin bending branch.

 

DSC_0609

This one is too, also sitting on a stylized stalk of bamboo. A kingfisher on bamboo may mean birthday wishes: bamboo is a  pun for "congratulate." (Bartholomew)

 

bamboo-close-BB8

Although this one obviously is not a bird, but a bamboo sprout, it too is seen "perched" on a bamboo stalk.

Our thanks to Mahjongmahjong for some of these images.

 

 

1 Comment

DSC_0695

This very thick bone and bamboo mahjong set, not intended for export because of the lack of Western letters and Arabic numbers, has a few touches to delight the player and collector. The chirping bird One Bam is one of them.

DSC_0701

Notice the bird's mouth open in song, the claws wrapped around the branch, and the detail given to the neck and eyes.

The other Bams are rounded, and the Dots vary from the six petaled flower within flower seen on the One Dot, to the six petaled flower within a circle seen on the others.

As often  happens, mahjong tiles were lost over time. The owner of this set, however, was quite industrious; other bone and bamboo mahjong tiles were substituted for missing ones and another was carved. It is believed the other tiles were from another set because only the substituted tiles have pencil written letters and numbers.

DSC_0696 8

The substituted tile.

 

DSC_0696 south

Carved tile with S for South.

 

DSC_0696 north

Carved 8 Bam and North.

 

DSC_0697 bird

An attempt to match the bird in song.