Table screens decorated with five bats and shou medallions

Two green hetian panels, decorated in openwork, are contained within cinnabar lacquer frames ornamented with incised meanders. They were originally inserted into stands, and were used as table screens. Five bats, surrounding a longevity or shou medallion, decorate the center of the screens; chrysanthemums, the flowers of autumn and also symbols of longevity, are shown in the four corners. These designs appear on a background of openwork swastikas.
The five bats (see B60 J95) symbolize the Five Blessings of longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue, and a peaceful death. The shou medallion is a symbol of longevity. This motif, known as wufu pengshou, or five blessings surrounding longevity, is a popular one, and was a favorite design for the decorative art of the Qing dynasty. The swastika, a pun for "10,000," indicates that the five blessings and the longevity symbols in the piece are being multiplied 10,000 times.