Ebisu. China, 20th century.Coral.On wooden base.Weight: 214 gr.Measurements: 19 x 10 x 3.5 cm; 20.5 x 12 x 6 cm.This piece, entirely made of red coral, represents a fisherman or the god of fishermen, Ebisu, who is usually represented in this way. The Japanese, who have fish as a fundamental basis of their diet, usually have Ebisu as their favorite god of luck. His legend tells that he was the first son of Izanagi and Izanami, who created many islands, deities and ancestors of Japan. He was a weak child who overcame numerous obstacles and, although he remains slightly crippled and deaf, he is propitious and is always depicted as cheerful.Among the most beautiful products that the sea offers to the vanity of humans is undoubtedly the red coral, which in all times has served as a precious adornment with which many peoples adorned and ornamented themselves. In some Eastern cultures, red coral is not only a highly esteemed adornment, but also a sign of dignity or command: the mandarins of China wore it as an attribute of their authority. The Turks were also very fond of coral ornaments, which they wore not only on their person, but also in the decoration and ornamentation of their homes. The Greeks designated coral by the name of korallion, which means "ornament of the sea", this word passed into Latin as corallium, from which the word coral was derived. The color of the limestone shaft offers a great variety of shades ranging from red to pink and some of these colorations have a delicate and soft pink hue, the most sought after by divers. The limestone shaft is so compact and homogeneous that it can be subjected to the most perfect polishing without disintegrating and cracking, a property that allows it to be worked and carved in a thousand different ways to achieve an infinite number of decorative or artistic objects.