{"product_id":"antique-chinese-luopan-feng-shui-compass-late-qing-dynasty-c-1890","title":"Antique Chinese Luopan Feng Shui Compass, Late Qing Dynasty, c.1890","description":"A large Chinese luopan geomantic compass dating to the late Qing Dynasty, circa 1890. Made in Xingning County, Guangdong Province, it represents one of the traditional instruments used by Feng Shui practitioners to determine auspicious orientations and spatial alignments.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe lacquered wooden body measures an impressive 22.6 cm in diameter, larger than many surviving examples encountered on today's market. The face is densely decorated with concentric rings of cosmological and geomantic information painted in gold and red against a black lacquer ground. These incorporate the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), the Twenty-Four Mountains, the Five Elements (Wuxing), and the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch cycles used in traditional Chinese Feng Shui practice.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe luopan was the principal instrument of the Feng Shui master, used to determine auspicious orientations for buildings, ancestral tombs and important architectural projects. Its densely inscribed surface combines multiple layers of cosmological, directional and calendrical information arranged in twenty-one concentric rings around the Tian Chi, or Heaven Pool, which contains the original magnetic needle beneath glass.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe reverse bears a red inscription reading Xingning County, Xinghua Street, Made by Xing Tai Ji, identifying the maker of the compass. Xingning was one of the principal centres of luopan production in southern China, and surviving signed examples are increasingly difficult to find. Comparable luopan compasses are preserved in the collections of the British Museum (https:\/\/www.britishmuseum.org), Penn Museum (https:\/\/www.penn.museum), Science Museum London (https:\/\/www.sciencemuseum.org.uk), Stromness Museum (https:\/\/www.stromnessmuseum.org.uk), Royal Museums Greenwich (https:\/\/www.rmg.co.uk) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org), underscoring the cultural and historical significance of these instruments within the Chinese geomantic tradition. Collectors value such pieces for their combination of practical function, symbolic complexity and strong decorative presence.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nMeasurements\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter: 22.6 cm (8.9″)\u003cbr\u003e\nHeight: 1.8 cm (0.7″)\u003cbr\u003e\nWeight: 265 g\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nCondition\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn some areas the lacquer has flaked, mainly around the outer edges, as shown in the photographs. The principal inscribed field remains largely intact with only minor wear. Dust is present beneath the compass glass. Otherwise good antique condition.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nShipping \u0026amp; Packaging\u003cbr\u003e\nFully tracked and insured delivery.\u003cbr\u003e\nShipping cost includes professional packaging, careful handling, and secure postage.\u003cbr\u003e\nCarefully packed using recycled materials where possible.\u003cbr\u003e\nPlease study all photographs as they form part of the description.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nQuestions are welcome.\u003cbr\u003e\n","brand":"Gillers Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":62883251781962,"sku":"B1783","price":1200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1066\/5351\/6106\/files\/il_fullxfull.8209978945_ma4a.jpg?v=1785902415","url":"https:\/\/gillersantiques.com\/products\/antique-chinese-luopan-feng-shui-compass-late-qing-dynasty-c-1890","provider":"Gillers Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}