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	Object Name:	Description:	Period:

41.	Bon bon box	Cloisonnéd "bon bon" box. Background for the lid and bottom of the box is a deep forest green. Surface is then decorated with tiny geometric shapes which come to form flowers or other patterns. Lots of different colors for the intricate patterns. Interior is white glazed porcelain with a flower painted in the blue glaze in the very center of both the lid and bottom of the box. Wooden stand accompanies this piece but is broken.

42.	Bowl	Research in progress

43.	Bowl	Research in Progress

44.	Bowl	Research in Progress

45.	Bowl with floral decoration	This miniature yet deep bowl is a very fine example of the carver's clever use of bi-color tapered egg-shaped jade pebbles to capture unusual elongated oval three-dimensional objects. The stone color shifts from dark grey to pale white with striking diagonal striations. A blossoming branch carved in the round trails onto the interior of the bow. The pale grayish-white color of the jade pebble is skillfully carved in openwork of delicate Mei Hua flowers with curled petals and long, winding stems. The flower, emblematic of longevity, has at all times inspired the aged Chinese literati because of its admirable vitality, even in the barren season; it reminds the learned sage to persist in his intellectual endeavor even in old age. The Qing era is known for its exceptional and distinct craftsmanship. This bowl spells out elegance and fineness. Despite the stone's remarkable texture, color and high polished surface, the bowl is gaudily carved and not very refined. It does not have the minute details that distinguish the Qing era. The pierced openings between branches and curled leaves are rather unvarying and stiff. From the Tao-Kuan period up to the present day, the art of jade has rapidly changed in technique and style to become more commercialized. In fact, the bottom of the bowl bears a small ink print CHINA indicates that this is a recent and common exported art object*.	Republican period

46.	Bowl with handles	This archaic jade vessel was probably used in ritual worships. It is possibly derived from the ancient Tou vessel form made in jade during the Shang Dynasty. The Tou is one of the sacrificial vessels used in special ceremonies performed in ancestral temples. This large and unadorned bowl slopes outwards evenly to an everted lip and rests above a short foot ring. Its two plain handles render a sense of austerity. The plain polished side surface has a bright glossy polish, accentuated with dark spots of brown inclusions. Such a bowl was probably made for the palace and the court. Jade carvers in the Song period reproduced many earlier jade forms of archaic types.	Attributed to the Song dynasty

47.	Brass bowl	Brass bowl engraved with Auranic inscriptions and Shi'a calligraphy. A band of zodiac symbols lines the bottom of the bowl, suggesting Hindu influence, as well, also indicated by the use of the mango motif. This bowl belongs to a type generally referred to as a “medicine” or “magic” bowl. These are usually identifiable by their central boss and a design that combines Qur'anic verses and the signs of the zodiac. The execution suggests that it is a relatively late piece and was probably made in the twentieth century. Although it may have been produced in northern India or Iran, it is difficult to link it more specifically to a region or specific community. Such medicinal bowls were used by both Sunnis and Shi’is; as this bowl appears to have the name of Ali, it was probably used by Shi’is but not necessarily exclusively, because Ali was also a caliph for the Sunnis. Inscriptions - Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Hussein in large cartouches on inner part of the bowl. Inscriptions along the top and base are from the Qur'an.

48.	Bright red-glazed (ji hong) shallow dish	This is a shallow dish in a bright red glaze (ji hong) with a footring. The bright red glaze is of a type that was especially popular during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. It differs from both the bright and glassy Langyao red (lang yao hong) or from the gentle and elegant peachbloom (jiang dou hong). The glaze is opaque and rich. It is evenly distributed with 'orange-peel' patterns (ju pi wen) on its surface, as demonstrated by this bright red-glazed shallow dish. There are tiny brown mottles in the glaze of this vessel that are particularly distinct on the exterior. But, overall the glaze is remarkably smooth and elegant. The base of the footring is white glazed, with an inscribed reign mark "da qing qianlong nian zhi" (Made during the Qianlong reign of the Great Qing) in seal script, underglaze blue and three columns. Judging from the glaze quality and writing style of the reign mark, this piece may be a Qianlong product.	Qing dynasty; Attributed to the Qianlong reign

49.	Broken lid of an urn	Research in progress.

50.	Bronze incenser, tripod	This vessel is a miniature ding, a formal and stylistic evocation of archaic bronze forms of ancient China and a classic example of Ming dynasty affluence. During this period, neo-Confucianism revived a reverence for antiquity. The enthusiasm for a revival of learning about older artistic traditions resulted in a high demand for bronze vessels, particularly in tripod incense burners used for religious, courtly and scholarly purposes. For this reason, nearly all incense burners made since then bear the reign mark of Xuan De. On the bottom of this vessel there is a four-mark character, arranged in two vertical lines "Da Ming Xüan De", meaning "Made during the reign of the Emperor Xuande of the Great Ming dynasty." As a matter of fact, the genuine Xuande mark is always in six characters, namely "da ming xuan de nian zhi (Made during the Xuande Reign of the Great Ming). The four character Xuande mark frequently appears on later copies. This ding shape bronze censer is one of the favorite personal objects of the scholar's studios. It achieves classic simplicity of form and elegance. Its shape is sophisticatedly restrained, yet sturdy with two side S-curve handles and three tapering legs. Its plain surface displays the austere style of the time. It is witness to a revulsion of taste from archaistic extravagance, which finds accord with Confucian ethics. Confucius advises the middle path between excessiveness and stinginess since "Extravagance leads to insubordination and parsimony to meanness. It is better to be mean than to be insubordinate."

51.	Brush holder	The stone's atypical texture and the untreated surface make this plain cylindrical brush holder unique. Rarely have brush holders of this type appeared in catalogs. Its general name is pi-t'ung. There are numerous materials used, both in antiquity and in the present day, to imitate jade that "...almost every known greenish mineral that lends itself to carving has been used and confused at one time or another with jade."* There are several types of metamorphic rocks that have been used to simulate jade. Thus, in this case, it would not be sufficient and specific to just look at the physical appearance and texture of the stone to classify it to a certain category of minerals. The stone used to carve this object possesses internally fine natural color-graining. In some spots the texture looks like a lizard skin, and in others sprinkled black pepper. Close to the mouth of the brush holder is a spot of brownish discoloration, perhaps due to the natural alteration in the original rock or the action of fire (causing calcification). Another possible reason for this 'rust marking' is that a prolonged burial in the carboniferous substances or with human remains, such as in tombs might affect the jade structure. Whatever the cause and natural provenance of this stone, the texture is exquisite and has the look of old age. There is evidence of the use of jade in connection with literary life dating back to the Song period, where other hard stones were used to carve brush rests and brush containers. The fact that the surface is left plain implies that the carver had arbitrarily used the stone texture as an aesthetic statement. Dating this object is problematic in that there are two presumptions: 1) Prior to the Ming dynasty, what mattered were the specific qualities of jade in the service of certain functions. Especially during the tumultuous period of the three kingdoms and Six Dynasties (221-589 A.D.), there were violent political upheavals which caused the destruction of the majority of the contemporary works of art. A few surviving artifacts reveal the beginning of the Buddhist influence, parallel with those found in contemporary sculptures. The jade carver of that time did not aim at an exact representation of life or using an emblem as a form of inspiration, but rather to achieve forms that expressed a contemplative and super-mundane tranquility. Most artifacts of this period have vanished. The jade carver during the Mid-Ming period took increasing advantage of the natural color of the stone to accentuate the intricacy and beauty of his objects. This brush holder may have been carved somewhere prior to the Ming period (c. 15th to early 16th century A. D.) or in recent time. Those in between are always intricately adorned. 2) On the other hand, the smooth and well polished surface, the perfect circular form, the precise thickness, the deliberately untreated surface to display the stone texture, and the precise cutting technique also indicate that this could be a recent piece.

52.	Brush holder	Research in Progress

53.	Brush holder	Research in progress.

54.	Brush pot	This is a cylindrical brush pot. The exterior is primarily inscribed with floral sprays (such as peonies and chrysanthemums) and two lines of a poem. The peony, known as fu gui hua (the flower of wealth and rank), conveys a wish for official rank in the emperor's civil service as well as a salary and perquisites to ensure wealth. The chrysanthemum is a symbol of autumn and of fortitude; it blossoms in the fall despite "the onslaught of frost and icy winds." It is also known as the hermit of flowers because of its association with Tao Qian (style name yuanming), a fourth-century poet-recluse who resigned his official post and retired to his small farm to write poetry. A number of his poems are about the chrysanthemum. Carved on both sides of this brush pot, the two lines of the poem read: "jing shi qie dan gao shi wai, qing xian bu su shi shen xian." Their translation goes, "those who live in a quiet place and pursue a simple life rather than wealth and fame are beyond a man of noble characters; those who live a leisurely but not vulgar life are immortals." On the side that contains the second line of the poem, a signature in red and running script is written near the base of this piece. It reads 'zi ge', probably zi or hao (style name) of the artist who inscribed this poem.	Qing dynasty

55.	Brush Rest	This is an ivory brush rest which was used as a place to set a brush that contained ink. It may have been owned by a scholar or an artist. Notice the central groove and ridges that would have restricted the ink from getting on the workspace. Grain can be seen on the exterior.	Qing dynasty

56.	Brush washer	This is possibly a small Pi hsi or brush washer made of serpentine. The design is unadorned and symmetrical. Although this is a small and shallow tray form carving, an apparent miniature replica of a very popular carving technique of the Song and Yuan periods, its four short feet confirm that this is definitely not a tray (as labeled). This quatrefoil form has four well-formed thick-lobed sides rising from a flat base to mould a broad rim with ridges as divisions of the cavetto. The indented ridges remind us of Stanley Charles Nott's quotes from the T'ao Shou's descriptions of various types of this vessel as "round and saucer shaped, of the form of an althæa flower with a rim of the foliated outline of a Buddhist stone gong…"

57.	Brush Washer in the form of a half-peach	The brush washer is one of the treasures in the Chinese scholar's study. The carver of this piece skillfully took advantage of the texture of the dark inclusions and veins on a dramatic brown-red tone as well as the natural pores of the stone to reminisce the beauty of antique brush washers and holders made by bamboo. Although it is probably not an antique and is not finely carved, the pierced carving floral-handle of this piece does evoke the Ming and Kangxi's carving techniques: bold, robust, and grotesque style, yet, astonishingly austere.* The egg-shaped body echoes the peach fruit on openwork peach branches at one side of the carving. Agalmatolite is a soft, waxy stone used by Chinese as a substitute for jade for carving small images, miniature pagodas, and decorative objects.	Republican period

58.	Brush washer with plum flower design	Jade carving of the late Qing perpetuates the shapes and forms of the ancient Han's bronze vessels.* The nature loving Chinese have given much thought to the use of trees, flowers, and animals. The jade carver cleverly employs the natural shape of an agate boulder to form this elegant half-melon-shaped brush washer, an indispensable accouterment on a scholar's desk.** The play on the color of the stone is cleverly expressed in this piece. Using the full natural shape and texture of jade stone, he adopts the attractive earth burnt amber skin of the stone to fashion it to the impressive, elaborate openwork of a plum sprig with a flower and bird that embrace the smooth body of the vessel. The design of the carving presents an image of nature that has sprung to life in relief. In this carving, the combination of the plum flower and the small bird perching on a branch signifies harmonious union. The five petals of the plum flower symbolize virginal purity. The plum tree is a powerful emblem of old age wisdom. Together with the pine and the bamboo, these three trees represent the "Three Good Friends of Winter." The object has an intricately carved original black wood stand. The craftsmanship of the Qianlong period is distinctive because of its decorative perfection. It bears exceptional resemblance in style to European sculpture of the same period. This is clearly demonstrated in this object through the straight incised hatching on the bird and the smooth contour of flowers and leaves. The interaction of the translucent quality of the stone with the earthy color of its skin and the choice of motifs in this brush washer spells out the conventional characteristics of the Chinese scholar who gracefully endured hardship while maintaining his integrity. This object was probably for personal enjoyment rather for use at court or burial.	Qing dynasty; Attributed to the Qianlong reign

59.	Buddhist lion or Fo dog	Research in progress

60.	Buffalo horn carved figure	Research in Progress