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	Object Name:	Description:	Period:

121.	Carved small screen	Research in Progress

122.	Carved snuff bottle	Research in Progress

123.	Carved soapstone figure	Research in progress.

124.	Carved soapstone figure	Research in Progress

125.	Carving depicting Shien Shêng with the three-legged toad	This is a fine miniature translucent pale green statuette group carving depicting Shien Shêng and the Three Legged Toad. Shien Shêng or How Sien Shêng are the names of "The Master How" (aka "The Frog Genius"). In this carving, he is portrayed as a jovial dwarf or a child, trying to tease a toad with a coin he holds up in his right hand. In his left hand, he grasps something like a flywhisk or a broom. He has a cheerful smile and no eyebrows on his face. In ancient Chinese art, How Sien Shêng is usually depicted as having no hair on his face, not even eyebrows. His skin is covered with protuberances. He was a legendary figure who could exhale his spirit, leaving his body tenantless, while the spirit roamed elsewhere. One time when his life essence rambled, his body became devitalized. Upon his return, he found his body corrupted and unfit for habitation. He took it up to the nearest living object at hand, that of a lame frog or toad by the wayside. He then practiced the usual magic and compounded wonderful pills for the lengthening of life.	Qing dynasty; Kangxi reign

126.	Carving from altar screen	The Chinese term for Jade or Yü covers a large array of stones that were believed to have the ability to communicate directly with heavenly powers by means of transcendental properties, in contrast to the accepted mineralogical classification of western gemologists who confine the term Jade to three varieties: Nephrite, Jadeite, and Chloromelanite. Although these three are equally prized by the Chinese, the deliberate choice of using chloromelanite in this particular case is notable. Besides its remarkable hardness and ferruginous qualities, its dark green, almost black color, is ideal to connote that this type of jade is imbued with the vital energy of the Yang principle that is well expressed in the vibrant carving of the dragon. During the early Ming period, the dark mottled green or Ji Yü, as opposed to pale green and rust-brown jade, was chosen for the large carvings such as altar screens. The jade carver of that period certainly took advantage of the natural color to accentuate the intricacy and strength of the dragon motif. It was during the Ming reign that the finest works of the dragon originated. Intricately adorned carvings of dragon reached the height of perfection. This fragment from a Ming Imperial household's altar screen has a strong and graceful yet bold rugged structure of dragon scales and the swirling clouds, and is obviously from the Hung-wu reign, in the early Ming period, when there was an emergence of a more definite and less composite type. The size of the carvings was on a larger scale than those from the previous periods. Objects like this altar screen were carved with high undercut relief, uniquely from this period, which witnessed the return of decorative mythological symbols created from previous times. Altar sets of characteristic Ming design formed an essential part of the Imperial household and the temples. In ancient times, the Chinese Emperors announced their succession to the throne on five tablet of jade offered up on the altar of the great nature deities of Heaven and Earth.	Ming dynasty; Hung Wu reign

127.	Carving in the form of an old tree-trunk	This very unique object represents an aged tree-trunk which appears to be budding. It is carved from what seems to be either walrus or whale ivory. It does not appear to be elephant ivory based on its dubious texture and weight. If this object represents a pine tree, then it probably stands as a symbol of longevity or steadfastness as the tree symbolizes the same characteristics in both China and Japan. Based on the carving style and subject matter, this object was produced in Japan in the late 19th or early 20th century. If one compares this object's iconography to traditional Chinese iconography, they will notice a main difference in the tow styles. Take object 68H38 as an example of traditional Chinese iconography. It contains dragons carved in relief and this object represents a tree-trunk. One will come to notice that the Japanese allow ivory (or ivory substitutes) to be carved to represent more common objects. The Chinese generally prefer to depict auspicious animals such as foo-dogs, phoenixes, dragons, and deities. The fact that the artist has employed a system of dowels to add limbs and roots to this tree-trunk further suggests that it is Japanese.	Meiji period

128.	Carving of a boy taming a crouching ts'ang Lion Dog (archaic Fo Dog)	This is an excellent example of the jade carver's clever use of a bi-color narrow, oval jade pebble with two tones of deep vibrant russet brown and celadon green. The green color is cleverly utilized to show the calm and smiling figure of a boy against the vibrant russet brown of a furious Fo dog or Lion dog (shi tzu kou), a conventionalized Chinese form of the hybrid Chinese Buddhist lion that symbolizes fearsomeness. This is the archaic representation (ts'ang) of the Fo Dog which means venerable, or hoary. It is easy to mistake the Fo dog for the Ch'i-lin since it has a composite body: a dragon head, a curled and flame-like bushy fur on his shoulder and tail, and slender legs. This uncontrollable lion dog, crouching and hiding behind the boy's back, turns his head sideways and upwards, with an open square jaw that displays pointed teeth as if trying to menace the viewer. The animal has bulging eyes, bushy eyebrows, long ears, and a bifurcated tail that spirals around his back. He angrily clenches a rope held firmly in the left hand of the boy who is smiling contently for being able to tame such fierce animal. The jade carvers of the Qing dynasty, especially the Qianlong period, produced the finest copies of the flamboyant ts'ang Lion Dog.	Qing dynasty; Qianlong reign

129.	Carving with a kylin	Research in Progress

130.	Celluloid carving	This carved celluloid object consists of concentric balls and a stand with a coiled dragon motif. The stand is very tall with a slender post. The largest portion of this elaborate stand contains what seems to be a dragon coiled around. This is the base of the stand. There are cloud motifs on this portion which symbolize ethereal realms. There is a lattice background behind the dragon. The bottom of the stand has pointed leaves which are meant to provide stability to the object when on display. The balls themselves are fourteen in number, each inside on another. The outermost ball contains the most detail. It is comprised of temples (or monastery) and monks surrounded by pine and willow trees. There are four groups which consist of two monks and one group which has three monks. The third member of the group of three monks is the only figure on the ball to have a beard. He may be in charge of the monastery/temple. There are various types of temple architecture on the ball as well. The inner balls are decorated with a lattice pattern. This object is NOT real ivory; it is probably composed of celluloid.	Qing dynasty; Republican period

131.	Censer	This copper censer is 13 cm tall, on a square base that is 7 cm x 7 cm. The dish that sits on top is 1.5 cm deep and 11.5 cm in diameter. The inside of the dish is entirely smoothe with the exception of a single ring that goes all the way around. Garuda, the hawk or animal vehicle of the God, Vishnu, is molded with much attention given to the detail of the jewelry that he is wearing.

132.	Ceramic pitcher	Research in progress

133.	Ceramic urn	Research in progress.

134.	Ceramic vase	This is a large square vase with a flaring mouth, a short neck, angular shoulders, a four-sided body and a tall, splayed footring. Overall its exterior is decorated with three registers of designs. The first register on the lower part of the neck is a band of adjoining long dark green and short light green plantain leaves on a white background. The angular shoulders are primarily adorned with moulded continuous white plum blossoms with green leaves against a pierced background. The outmost borders are solid and painted in green. The plum blossom, one of sui han san you (Three Friends of Winter, namely pine, bamboo and plum, which still keep their integrity when all other plants wither and their leaves fall), is important to the Chinese as a symbol of longevity and good fortune. The third and main register on the four-sided body bears five-color overglaze scenes of aristocratic life in relief with the outmost borders in a thin layer of white glaze. All of the backgrounds are pierced. As deduced by their dress, the figures represented here may not be the Han people (or Chinese). It is probable that they are minorities who live in northern China. On one side a man is seated in a cart that is being pulled by a horse through a forest that has several pine trees. The pine tree is a symbol of longevity and steadfastness in China. There are two attendants flanking the horse; the one on the left is about to whip the horse while the other on the right carries two loads of luggage on his shoulders with the help of a pole. The scene to the right contains eleven male figures who are probably discussing some important business in a typically of Chinese style hall. Most of the people look like they are aristocrats. Six of them sit at a large table on which there is an open book, an incense burner and two piles of books. Three more are seated at a smaller table, two of whom may be servants. The other two seem to be standing at a balcony. The next scene to the right involves three oxen and two male figures surrounded by a willow (emblematic of spring and female beauty), a pine tree and grass. Two of the animals seem to be in a contest while the two men look on. One man holds a staff (which is reminiscent of a shepherd’s staff) in his left hand. They could be tending a herd. The fourth scene has five men, one of whom sports a red cap, standing around a table with an incense burner and an open book. This red cap seems to symbolize his highest status in the group. The setting is also that of a typical Chinese hall. There is another man who seems to be just arriving and dismounting from his horse. He may be a messenger and is about to report to the people standing around the table. Chinese roses in many colors are illustrated on the upper part of each scene. Four green bats are depicted in the corners of all the scenes on a white background. The Chinese rose is symbolic of the youth. The bat is a pun for the word ‘fu’ meaning good fortune. The exterior and the base of the splayed footring are thinly glazed in white and do not bear any decoration. The bottom rim of the footring is unglazed, exposing the dark buff body. On the base of the footring there is a raised reign mark “da qing kang xi nian zhi" in seal script and three columns. The genuine Kangxi reign marks on large colorful vessels are all in standard script rather than seal script. Therefore, the reign mark here is a later copy. Actually this type of Kangxi reign mark in seal script frequently appeared on the porcelain vessels that were produced during the late Qing period, from approximately 1890 to 1910. Thus, this large square vase should be dated approximately from 1890 to 1910 as well.	Qing dynasty; Kangxi reign

135.	Ceramic vase	This is a variation of the blue-and-white yuhuchun vase or yu hu chun ping named after a famous ancient wine. It is a typical vessel shape that originated from the Song period, and continued to be made through the Qing. It has a flaring mouth, a tall waisted neck, a pear-shaped belly, and a splayed footring (the original vase does not have this footring). The date of this vessel is open to speculation because of its unusual footring. Although the plantain leaf design on the neck resembles that of the Xuan-de period, the dragon motif, on the other hand, does not match with those on porcelain of the Ming and the Qing periods.

136.	Ceremonial tablet-shaped blade	With a straight double-face cutting edge and slightly flaring sides, this exceptionally exquisite dark green jade ceremonial blade is in the form of an elongated rectangular tablet. The gleam of its flat, high gloss, polished surface and the elegance of its thinness bring out the excellent qualities of the stone. Despite its dark color and quite thick appearance, when held against the light, the blade is translucent, especially at the edges and the cutting edge. The oval cross-section of the blade is evenly shaped and finished. Its straight sides and edge slope outward and slightly flare with the gently oblique cutting edge on one side. At the butt end there is a hole, which would have been filled in part by a cord for binding the implement to a wooden shaft. The central hole has been pecked, leaving a chipped crescent on the other. Originally this dark green jade ceremonial blade was dated to circa. 100 B.C., however, when especially making a close observation of the hole at the butt end, such dating is not substantiated. During the ancient era, the hole on jade vessels was commonly drilled from both sides. Therefore, there is usually a clear ridge at the joint, and the outer diameter is bigger in size than the inner diameter. Consequently the hole appears conical and it is uneven in diameter. As to the hole on this jade piece, it appears cylindrical and even in diameter. It seems to be drilled from one side with a smooth aperture. The outer diameter is almost in the same size as the inner diameter. Further, the inner sides of the hole clearly exhibit paralleling spiral traces, characteristic of later grinding techniques when observed under a magnifier. Moreover, the overall body of this jade piece distinctively bears traces of long grinding lines which are usually found on later jade objects. In conclusion, this dark green jade ceremonial blade is a recent product, probably made during the early 20th century.	Qing dynasty; Republican period

137.	Chalcedony Guanyin sculpture	Research in progress.

138.	Chime stone Tê-ch'ing	This chime stone Tê-ch'ing (or 'single sonorous stone') has the shape of a carpenter's square. It is one of China most ancient musical instruments, dated back to the Shang dynasty, and it was frequently used in temples' ritual music. During the Qing dynasty, the performance of ritual music also helped to legitimize Emperors' rule. The form of the Tê-ch'ing was created to exact dimensions so that it could faithfully render the sound of the triple octave below huang-chung when correctly struck by a special hammer. A hole was drilled in the apex angle through which a 'gut cord' was inserted to suspend the instrument within a confined frame (of wood, iron or stone). The inverted V-shape of chime stones was probably the standard form of a stone instrument know as the bian-ch'ing, which was generally smaller than the Tê-ch'ing. It consisted of sets of 16 pieces, all of equal length and breadth, suspended on a single frame. Each side of the jade Tê-ch'ing is engraved in the stone and filled with gold pigment. It is adorned with a detailed design of the auspicious dragon swirling amidst the clouds and pursuing a flaming jewel on the surface, as well as registers on the edges of clouds and characters. Some faded sections on the surface of the bell reveal red pigment underneath the gold inlay. On the shorter edge of the instrument, there is an engraving of the date of the piece written in kaishu (regular script), meaning 'made during the twenty-ninth year of the Emperor Ch'ien Lung's reign'. The longer edge bears two characters, also written in kaishu, meaning 'golden bell' (huáng zhong). The Jade Stone Chimes can be classified into three distinct categories: a) The Tê-ch'ing or 'Single Sonorous Sounding Stone' b) The Pien-ch'ing or 'Major Key Sounding Stone Chime' c) The Ko-ch'ing or 'Chromatic Sounding Chime'	Attributed to the Qing dynasty

139.	Chinese "Opium" Scale with Ivory Case	This interesting object is called an opium scale even though this was not its original purpose. These scales were used in China at least by the second half of the 17th century as noted by Jacob Leupold's 1726 publication, Theatrum Staticum Universale. They were used for measuring the weight of jewelry and medicine well before opium was fastidiously imported by Western powers in the early-middle 19th century. The scales were used to measure opium during the tumultuous period in Chinese history when opium was rampant. The shape of the case of the object is referred to as a whale, fish or violin shape. There are four strings that extend from the end of the ivory beam to a pan. Another sting is attached to the beam to act as the fulcrum. A counterweight hangs from another string and is adjustable as well as easily removable from the beam. The slender beam is made from ivory, like the case. The pan and counterweight are made from a metal which is probably brass. The scale functions the same way as the steelyard scales function. There are indicator marks on the beam which give the apothecary, jeweler, or other seller a weight for the item. The string of the counterweight would correspond to one of these marks to give the weight of the item. This particular fish-shaped case was popular circa 1900 A.D.	Qing dynasty

140.	Chinese bronze Buddhist temple bell	This is a Chinese bronze Buddhist temple bell cast into a round shape. It is accompanied by a wooden drum paddle used to strike the bell. This bell would have been struck by the Buddhist priest in addressing his prayers to Sakyamuni, the head of Buddhism. The sound would have then been carried at a great distance. The exterior of this bell is decorated with panels of pine branches and floral designs including a lotus. The pine is a symbol of longevity and prosperity because of its ever-lasting green leaves. The lotus is a symbol of purity and integrity. It is also one of the eight precious Buddhist things. One panel on this bell contains an inscription reading "wanli er shi er nian ji ri zao" (Made on a lucky day in the twenty-second year of the Wanli reign). This date corresponds to 1594 AD.	Ming dynasty; Wanli reign