Gilding Fu Lu Shou in 24K gold enriches a trinity already rich in auspicious meaning. A colour inseparable from the Chinese cultural psyche, golden yellow is associated with, amongst others, history, geography, mythology, imperial mandate and faith. Usually depicted in more human-like proportions, the comically pot-bellied appearance of Xu Xiao Yong’s trio incorporates the concept of ‘roundness’ significant to Chinese culture, representing as it does the notions of completeness, fulfilment and unity. Included stands in bonded porcelain have concealed magnets to secure them in place when displayed as shown. Fu Lu Shou 福禄寿, or the Sanxing (三星 Three Stars), are gods of the three celestial bodies Jupiter, Mizar and Canopus, and the three characteristics of good fortune (Fu), status (Lu) and longevity (Shou) in Chinese folk beliefs. The term ‘fu lu shou’, and the display of the three figures, is common in Chinese society to indicate and attract these three attributes of a desirable life.
