Lot Details

VINTAGE TEDDY IRON MUSICAL BAODING BALLS STRESSS RELIEF. GREAT QAUALITY AND VERY UNIQUE. Chinese meditation balls, or Baoding balls, date back to the Ming dynasty. They are said to originate from the small town of Baoding in the North China Plain and are one of the so-called in Baoding treasures.in Their adepts came from diverse classes of society, and included emperors and paupers. Before Baoding balls, soldiers and the general public exercised their hands by rolling walnuts around. This continued until iron Baoding balls that doubled as weapons began to be manufactured. Nowadays, meditation balls are made using a variety of materials such as marble, agate, stone, and jade. Most are made of steel and are usually hollow inside; when manipulated, they produce a pleasant chiming sound. The balls vary in weight and texture. Craftsmen often choose to work with metal since metallic Baoding balls can be engraved with beautiful designs. The gorgeous hand-made designs that decorate incloisonnein balls depict characters and symbols associated with health, harmony, wellness and a myriad of other positive forces. Balls made from stone are solid and are much heavier; most people use them to exercise their hand muscles. Since stone balls tend to chip when dropped, they must be handled with care.