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	Object Name:	Description:	Period:

1.	A Miniature Sailboat	Similar to a Japanese netsuke, this miniature sailboat, probably from a recent period, is made of Lapis-Lazuli for contemporary collectors. It is not necessarily an antique object for orthodox collectors, but rather an item for sheer enjoyment. The sailboat has a dull and mottled deep blue color. The details on the boat are simplified with only a few smooth undercuts fashioned to represent the folds of the sail. Small undulations underneath the boat suggest waves. There is no significant meaning to the sail boat motif used in Chinese art. This small piece, despite its status as a collector's contemporary carving, is indeed a lovely addition to the collector's inventory.	Republican period

2.	A pair of eggshell-thin bowls with famille rose floral motifs	Each of this pair of eggshell-thin bowls bears a wide open mouth and a footring (one of them is seriously broken). Their exterior is decorated with elegant famille rose* floral motifs (such as peonies and chrysanthemums) in various colors on a rouge red (yan zhi hong or yang hong, foreign red) background. 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. The inside of each bowl is plainly adorned and has a light green glaze. The bottom of the footring is covered with a light green glaze as well. It bears a reign mark "yong zheng nian zhi" (Made during the Yongzheng Reign [of the Qing dynasty]) in overglaze blue, standard script and two columns within a blue double frame. However, these eggshell-thin bowls are not Yongzheng vessels as claimed by the reign mark. First of all, the eggshell-thin porcelain was rarely made during the Yongzheng reign. It is generally believed that the so-called 'Yongzheng' vessels with a thin body are likely later copies. Secondly, the inside of the Yongzheng bowls and bottom of the footring are usually glazed in white. Third, the glaze is not dispersed with the 'orange-peel' patterns (ju pi wen) that typically appear on the Yongzheng vessels. Lastly, the size and writing of each character in the reign mark here are not as regular and even as the dated four-character Yongzheng mark in standard script. Therefore, it can be inferred that these two pieces are recent copies, approximately made during the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Actually, they bear great resemblance in shape and decoration to two dated Yongzheng small bowls with the famille rose floral design on a rouge red background (p.205 two pieces on the right column, from Li Zongyang, Ming qing ci qi tu jian <Pictorial Handbook of Porcelain in Ming and Qing Dynasties> <Changsha: hunan meishu chubanshe, 2004>). It is evident that they were produced as replicas of these Yongzheng models. * Famille rose (fen cai) refers to a palette developed in the same basis of the famille verte palette (kang xi wu cai) of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty and which was under the direct influence of the enamel decoration ware. In the last years of the Kangxi reign, foreign rouge-red enamel was used to color flower petals. This started the trend toward a new palette (known in the West as famille rose) during the succeeding Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. The famille rose is characteristically used in this way: glassy white (bo li bai) in which an opaque white enamel (lead arsenate) is employed as the base for coloring garments or flower petals; also, rue oil is used as the drying oil in mixing some pigments. Many enamels of the palette include certain imported materials, such foreign red, foreign yellow, foreign green, and foreign white. Compared with the famille verte, the new palette fires at a lower temperature and has a wider color range. It also appears softer and gentler, hence its other name 'soft colors' (ruan cai). During the Yongzheng reign, famille rose wares reached their zenith, replacing the famille verte of the Kangxi reign and becoming the dominate palette in overglaze decoration. The decoration was painted not only on a white background, but also on such colored backgrounds as coral, red, light green, caramel, black, etc. During the Qianlong reign, new techniques continued to develop. As a departure from the earlier simple washing method, flower petals in rouge red were outlined. More colors began to appear as the background. The designs also grew increasingly complex, especially in the case of wares with a red or green phoenix tail design as the background (feng wei wen), which was fashionable in the late Qianlong and early Jiaqing period. As this new decorative technique used many imported materials, and it method of mixing pigments was also 'foreign', it acquired the name 'foreign colors' (yang cai) in the Qianlong reign.	Qing dynasty; Republican period;

3.	A Pair of eggshell-thin cups with chrysanthemum spray designs	This is a pair of modern eggshell-thin cups primarily decorated with overglaze chrysanthemum spray designs in various colors. The top of each the cup is adorned with cloud collars while the bottom is decorated with hui wen (key fret patterns). Two lines of a poem are inscribed on one side, which read, "mo dao san jing leng, li jue ban qiu xiang" meaning "never complain about the coldness in the autumn as you can always smell the fragrance of chrysanthemum in this season." 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. Three stylized seals are together with this poem. On the base of the footring there is a reign mark "qianlong nian zhi" (Made during the Qianlong Reign) in seal script. It is obviously just a copy. According to Dr. Kramer's notes, this cup is a recent production for tourist trade at an inexpensive price.	Republican period

4.	A pair of eggshell-thin soft-contoured mallet vases	One of a pair of small eggshell-thin soft-contoured mallet vases, this piece has a flaring mouth, a waisted neck, a pear-shaped tapering body, and a footring. The body of both vases is decorated with qianjiang cai (pale umber decoration) landscape scenes containing Chinese roses, chrysanthemums, flying and playing birds, rocks, a bridge, grassland, etc on a white background. Qianjiangcai refers to an elegant color scheme including sepia and pale umber pigments painted on white porcelain vessels. Techniques of traditional Chinese ink painting are used in the decoration to achieve a painterly quality. This scheme became fashionable during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns of the Qing dynasty, with contributions made by porcelain artists such as Wang Tingzuo, Jin Pinqing and Cheng Men. Two lines of a poem, which read "qing biao shang jing lü, niao yu yi sheng hong" (When birds sing, all the green will turn red), are inscribed on one side of the body. The top of the neck is adorned with painted black hui wen (key fret patterns) and stylized cloud collars. On the bottom of the body is another band of painted black hui wen together with a band of solid black dots. Both vases bear an inscribed seal mark of "qianlong nian zhi" (Made during the Qianlong reign of the Great Qing) in underglaze blue along with "CHINA" stamped in black on the base of the footring. As requested by the United States Law (U.S. Stamp Act of 1892), any exported wares to the United States from 1891 were required to be marked with "CHINA". Since the decorative technique of qianjiangcai actually appeared later than the Qianlong reign as mentioned above, it is evident that these two soft-contoured mallet vases are objects specially designed for foreign trade, and were approximately made during the late 19th century to early 20th century.	Qing dynasty; Republican period

5.	A pair of foliate-rim oval zhai jie pai (abstinence plaque)	This pair of foliate-rim oval zhai jie pai (abstinence plaque) contains dark blue cords on both ends. Zhai jie pai became popular in the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty. It may be rectangular or oval with holes at both ends so that it can be attached to the garment with a cord as an accessory. The two sides of zhai jie pai usually have the same enameled border designs in the famille rose* palette, which surround two Chinese characters 'zhai jie' meaning abstinence on one side and Manchurian writing on the other. On these two zhai jie pai, both Chinese characters 'zhai jie' (abstinence) and the two Manchurian characters (possibly meaning 'abstinence' as well) on the other side are in black, and are incised against a light green dotted background. Cloud collar designs in the famille rose palette surround the Chinese and Manchurian characters. Their foliate rim is gilt. According to the original inventory record, these two pieces were produced during the recent period, approximately the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. * Famille rose (fen cai) refers to a palette developed in the same basis of the famille verte palette (kang xi wu cai) of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty and which was under the direct influence of the enamel decoration ware. In the last years of the Kangxi reign, foreign rouge-red enamel was used to color flower petals. This started the trend toward a new palette (known in the West as famille rose) during the succeeding Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. The famille rose is characteristically used in this way: glassy white (bo li bai) in which an opaque white enamel (lead arsenate) is employed as the base for coloring garments or flower petals; also, rue oil is used as the drying oil in mixing some pigments. Many enamels of the palette include certain imported materials, such foreign red, foreign yellow, foreign-green, and foreign white. Compared with the famille verte, the new palette fires at a lower temperature and has a wider color range. It also appears softer and gentler, hence its other name 'soft colors' (ruan cai). During the Yongzheng reign, famille rose wares reached their zenith, replacing the famille verte of the Kangxi reign and becoming the dominate palette in overglaze decoration. The decoration was painted not only on a white background, but also on such colored backgrounds as coral, red, light green, caramel, black, etc. During the Qianlong reign, new techniques continued to develop. As a departure from the earlier simple washing method, flower petals in rouge red were outlined. More colors began to appear as the background. The designs also grew increasingly complex, especially in the case of wares with a red or green phoenix tail design as the background (feng wei wen), which was fashionable in the late Qianlong and early Jiaqing period. As this new decorative technique used many imported materials, and it method of mixing pigments was also 'foreign', it acquired the name 'foreign colors' (yang cai) in the Qianlong reign.	Qing dynasty; Republican period

6.	A pair of straw hat-shaped, white-glazed bowls	Each of this pair of bodiless (tuo tai) straw hat-shaped bowls (li shi wan) has a wide open mouth, a conical body tapering to the bottom and a footring. The bodiless porcelain, literally meaning 'casting off the body', is a kind of thin-bodied porcelain created during the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty. As the name suggests, the vessel was so thin that it seemed bodiless and made up purely of glaze. Both the exterior and interior of these two bodiless bowls are smoothly covered with a glossy and translucent white glaze. The interior is decorated with two faintly incised dragon-chasing-pearl designs. Each dragon has double antlers and five claws, characteristic of the Imperial dragons which symbolized the Emperor. On the inside bottom there is the faintly engraved reign mark, "yong le nian zhi" (Made during the Yongle Reign [of the Ming dynasty]; 1403-1423) in seal script and two columns. The Yongle white ware has a fine body with a nearly transparent, but slightly matte glaze. Their near transparency is possibly due to the very low calcium oxide content (c. 2.5 per cent) of the glaze. Accordingly, it may be considered as "a further stage in the development from qingbai (10 to 15 per cent) [(bluish white) ware of the Song dynasty] and shufu (4 to 6 per cent) [(Privacy Council) ware or luan bai" (egg-white) ware of the Yuan dynasty]. "The purity of the Yongle body and glaze materials resulted in wares superior to anything preceding them and they have traditionally been referred to in both Chinese and foreign texts as 'sweet white wares'." (Both quotations are from page 184, S. J. Vainker, Chinese Pottery and Porcelain <New York: George Braziller, Inc., 1991>.) However, this pair of bodiless white glazed bowls is not of the Yongle production as claimed by the reign mark. Actually, after considering the transparency, glaze, writing style of the reign mark and decoration, they may be later Qing copies. First of all, both vessels, including their bottom are fully translucent, typical of the later Qing copies. The Yongle sweet white ware cannot exhibit full transparency like later copies because the Yongle bodiless porcelain is still fairly thick, especially on the bottom of vessels. Secondly, the white glaze on these two vessels appears pure white whereas the Yongle sweet white glaze usually displays a slight green color. Third, the Yongle reign mark on these two vessels is written in a regular and even style. Such a writing style is frequently found on later copies of the Yongle ware. As a matter of fact, the Yongle ware rarely bears a reign mark. The dated Yongle reign mark is usually written in irregular seal script. Lastly, the faintly incised decoration on these two bowls is still quite distinct. This is characteristic of later copies, and more specifically, the Yongzheng replicas. By comparison, the faintly incised designs on the Yongle ware is exceptionally 'faint (an hua)' and indistinct.	Qing dynasty

7.	A pair of yingqing (shadow blue) vases	This pair of vases bears a flaring foliate-rim mouth, a long and waisted neck, sloping shoulders, and a compressed globular body. Their exterior and interior are in a yingqing* (shadow blue) glaze. The overall exterior of each vase is decorated with incised and raised designs. One raised bowstring design decorates the center of the neck while two more thick designs are on the exterior of the footring. Four incised lines start from the top of the mouth and go to the bottom of the neck. Around the shoulders are two faintly incised designs. One depicts a tu or hare perching on the root of a tree while the other illustrates a lingzhi fungus surrounded by four leaves. Tu is perhaps one of the most popular of the Chinese animal emblems, and is usually found in the company of the Deer and Tortoise. Lingzhi fungus is an ingredient of the elixir of immortality and thus, a symbol of longevity. It resembles the ruyi (as you wish) scepter, or wish-fulfilling wand, popular in later Ming and early Qing art. When represented at the center of three or five blades of grass, it is a symbol of the greatest ritualistic importance. On the lower part of the compressed globular body both vases are adorned with moulded designs of stylized lotus petals. The lotus is a symbol of purity and integrity. It is also one of the eight precious Buddhist things. The lotus comes out of the mud, but remains itself unstained. It is inwardly empty yet outwardly upright. It has no branches (no family/offspring) yet smells sweet. On the base of the footring there are two faintly incised characters "xuan he", meaning the Xuanhe Era of the Huizong Reign, Northern Song dynasty (1119-1125). Although both yingqing vases bear a Northern Song era name, it is evident that they are just copies of the Northern Song vessels because the genuine Song porcelain rarely bears a reign mark. The shape of both vases resembles more or less a green-glazed vase with a long neck and a flaring mouth dated to the mid-Qing period (p.202, from Li Zongyang's book titled zhongguo mingqing ciqi mulu <xia> <Catalogue of Chinese Ming and Qing Porcelain, vol.2) <Haikou: nanfang chubanshe, 2000>). Their shape also exhibits some similarity to no. C5, a small yellow-glazed garlic-head vase with two B-shaped handles and bowstring patterns in relief dated to the Daoguang reign (1821-1850). Therefore, this pair of yingqing vases was probably produced during the middle and late Qing dynasty. * Yingqing (shadow blue) ware, also known as Qingbai ware (literally 'bluish white ware'), is an important porcelain produced in southern China during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Its glaze is bluish white with a jade texture and its best examples are so fine that one can see one's reflection in the lustrous glaze. This porcelain was invented in Jingdezhen during the Northern Song with the Hutian products being the most outstanding. The qingbai ware was also fired in the kilns in other southern provinces such as Anhui, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian. The earliest known piece of bluish white ware is a bo bowl unearthed from a dated Northern Song tomb (A.D. 1000) in Jiujiang, of the Jiangxi province. Most common examples of these wares are daily utensils such as bowls, dishes, vases, jars, ewers, cup-stands, saucer dishes and censors. Many qingbai vessels are plain but some are decorated with carved or impressed designs, the most typical being the motif of 'children-at-play' employed by the Jingdezhen kiln. The quality of qingbai ware declined in the Yuan dynasty. Qingbai ware was extensively exported during the Song and Yuan periods.	Attributed to the Qing dynasty

8.	A qingbai (bluish-white) bowl	This bowl has a wide unglazed rim, a flaring mouth and a footring. Its exterior and interior as well as the base of the footring are in a bluish-white glaze. According to its glaze color, this bowl is categorized as qingbai (bluish white) ware. Such a typical glaze tone was produced as a natural result of reduction firing in a wood-fired kiln, which was the most straightforward method for potters working in southern China. Overall the glazing appears quite even and smooth. The unglazed rim, exposing the thin and finely wheeled buff body, demonstrates that this bowl was produced through a technique of firing called fushao (the rim-down firing). Fushao was firstly adopted at the northern Ding kilns in the Hebei province during the mid-Northern Song period. It later influenced the way of firing qingbai ware in the South. It is highly likely that this object was produced in the Jingdezhen kilns, of the Jiangxi province, where the qingbai ware was invented, perfected and manufactured in large quantities during both the Northern and Southern Song periods. The exterior of this bowl is decorated with moulded overlapping lotus petal patterns. The lotus is a symbol of purity and integrity. It is also one of the eight precious Buddhist things. The lotus comes out of the mud but remains itself unstained. It is inwardly empty yet outwardly upright. It has no branches (no family/offspring) yet smells sweet. The interior is glazed in a darker bluish white glaze without any decorations. Inside the bottom there seems to be a spur mark. This qingbai bowl was mistaken as a Chai ware by Dr. Kramer. Chai kiln was a famous ancient kiln allegedly set up in Zhengzhou by Chai Rong, the Emperor Shizong of Zhou (reigning 954-959), during the Five Dynasties period. According to literature, the vessels had a lustrous sky-blue glaze with fine crackles and the foot was marked with yellow grit. Xuande Ding Yi Pu (A Manual of Xuande Ritual Vessels) compiled in 1428 during the Xuande reign of the Ming dynasty, placed Chai ware on the top of its admired list of ceramics. Later, in the book titled qing mi cang (rare objects in the Qing Palace) by Zhang Yingwen, Chai ware was described as "qing ru tian, ming ru jing, bo ru zhi, sheng ru qing" (be as blue as the sky, as glossy as a mirror and as thin as paper, and to be able to ring like a chime when struck). However, it is generally believed that neither the Chai kiln site has been found, nor the Chai ware has been identified. Furthermore, as mentioned above, this bowl was actually fired through the fushao technique of firing that was not adopted until the mid-Northern Song period, much later than the Five Dynasties period. The tone of the glaze as well appears to be a typical bluish white. Moreover, a Korean celadon bowl dated to the 12th century (p.34, from Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Porcelain edited by David Battie <London: Conran Octopus Ltd., 1990>) bears similar crisply carved overlapping lotus petal patterns on the exterior. As Korean celadon vessels were largely influenced by their contemporary Chinese counterparts, it demonstrates that such overlapping lotus petal designs were prevalent during the mid-Northern Song period. Therefore, it can be inferred that this vessel is a qingbai bowl probably made during the mid-Northern Song period. * Fushao (the rim-down firing), also known as upside-down firing (as opposed to rim-up firing, zheng shao), refers to a method of arranging vessels during firing. Vessels were glazed and then the glaze on the rim of each piece was wiped off. They were then arranged upside down either in a multi-stepped saggar or on individual ring-setters. The method was invented at the Ding kilns in Hebei during the Northern Song, and was adopted at various times by the Jingdezhen and Jizhou kilns in Jiangxi, the Bacun kilns in the Yu county in Henan, the Yuta kilns in the Taishun county in Zhejiang, the Maodian kilns in the Guangze county, and the Dakou kilns in the Pucheng county in Fujian. * Qingbai ware, literally 'bluish white ware,' is an important porcelain produced in southern China during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Its glaze is bluish white with a jade texture, and its best examples are so fine that one can see one's reflection in its lustrous glaze. The ware is also known as ying qing, literally 'shadow blue'. This porcelain was invented in Jingdezhen during the Northern Song with the Hutian products being the most outstanding. The qingbai ware was also fired in the kilns in other southern provinces such as Anhui, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian. The earliest known piece of bluish white ware is a bo bowl unearthed from a dated Northern Song tomb (A.D. 1000) in Jiujiang, in the Jiangxi province. The most common examples of these wares are daily utensils such as bowls, dishes, vase, jars, ewers, cup-stands, saucer dishes and censors. Many qingbai vessels are plain but some are decorated with carved or impressed designs, the most typical being the motif of 'children-at-play' employed by the Jingdezhen kiln. The quality of qingbai ware declined in the Yuan dynasty. Qingbai ware was extensively exported during the Song and Yuan periods.	Attributed to the Song dynasty

9.	A set of miniature Han, Tang and Song dynastic pottery	This is a remarkable set of miniature Han, Tang and Song dynastic specimen. They were formerly in the collection of Mr. S. Yamanaka. 23 in total, they contain: 2 Tang-style green one-handled pottery cups, 2 Tang-style green baskets with overhead handle, 1 Han-style caramel basket with overhead handle, 1 Tang-style white basket with overhead handle, 6 Song-style Cizhou type white dishes with brown decorations in different sizes, 1 Song-style Cizhou type white shallow basin with brown decorations, 1 Song-style Cizhou type white jar with brown decoration, 2 Song-style plain white dishes, 2 Song-style Cizhou-type plain white zun, 1 Tang-style green ewer, 1 Song-style Cizhou type jar with double lipped mouth and brown decoration, 1 Tang-style green jar, 1 Tang-style bigger green basket with overhead handle, and 1 Song-style white zun with a flaring mouth, a lobed body and a footring. These samples are very useful to trace the development of pottery production during the three significant imperial dynasties in China.

10.	A set of miniature Han, Tang and Song dynastic pottery	This is a remarkable set of miniature Han, Tang and Song dynastic specimen. They were formerly in the collection of Mr. S. Yamanaka. 23 in total, they contain: 2 Tang-style green one-handled pottery cups, 2 Tang-style green baskets with overhead handle, 1 Han-style caramel basket with overhead handle, 1 Tang-style white basket with overhead handle, 6 Song-style Cizhou type white dishes with brown decorations in different sizes, 1 Song-style Cizhou type white shallow basin with brown decorations, 1 Song-style Cizhou type white jar with brown decoration, 2 Song-style plain white dishes, 2 Song-style Cizhou-type plain white zun, 1 Tang-style green ewer, 1 Song-style Cizhou type jar with double lipped mouth and brown decoration, 1 Tang-style green jar, 1 Tang-style bigger green basket with overhead handle, and 1 Song-style white zun with a flaring mouth, a lobed body and a footring. These samples are very useful to trace the development of pottery production during the three significant imperial dynasties in China.

11.	A set of miniature Han, Tang and Song dynastic pottery	This is a remarkable set of miniature Han, Tang and Song dynastic specimen. They were formerly in the collection of Mr. S. Yamanaka. 23 in total, they contain: 2 Tang-style green one-handled pottery cups, 2 Tang-style green baskets with overhead handle, 1 Han-style caramel basket with overhead handle, 1 Tang-style white basket with overhead handle, 6 Song-style Cizhou type white dishes with brown decorations in different sizes, 1 Song-style Cizhou type white shallow basin with brown decorations, 1 Song-style Cizhou type white jar with brown decoration, 2 Song-style plain white dishes, 2 Song-style Cizhou-type plain white zun, 1 Tang-style green ewer, 1 Song-style Cizhou type jar with double lipped mouth and brown decoration, 1 Tang-style green jar, 1 Tang-style bigger green basket with overhead handle, and 1 Song-style white zun with a flaring mouth, a lobed body and a footring. These samples are very useful to trace the development of pottery production during the three significant imperial dynasties in China.

12.	A set of miniature Han, Tang and Song dynastic pottery	This is a remarkable set of miniature Han, Tang and Song dynastic specimen. They were formerly in the collection of Mr. S. Yamanaka. 23 in total, they contain: 2 Tang-style green one-handled pottery cups, 2 Tang-style green baskets with overhead handle, 1 Han-style caramel basket with overhead handle, 1 Tang-style white basket with overhead handle, 6 Song-style Cizhou type white dishes with brown decorations in different sizes, 1 Song-style Cizhou type white shallow basin with brown decorations, 1 Song-style Cizhou type white jar with brown decoration, 2 Song-style plain white dishes, 2 Song-style Cizhou-type plain white zun, 1 Tang-style green ewer, 1 Song-style Cizhou type jar with double lipped mouth and brown decoration, 1 Tang-style green jar, 1 Tang-style bigger green basket with overhead handle, and 1 Song-style white zun with a flaring mouth, a lobed body and a footring. These samples are very useful to trace the development of pottery production during the three significant imperial dynasties in China.

13.	A set of salt and pepper shakers with colorful landscape scenes	This is a set of ivory pepper shakers with colorful landscape scenes including willows, bridges, rocks, etc. A line of a poem is inscribed on one side of the pepper shaker, which reads "hao han ru ming yue" meaning "as broad and bright as the moon". At the end of this line is a year of 1955. These objects were once popular in shops from Hong Kong.

14.	A small eggshell-thin soft-contoured mallet vase	This is a small eggshell-thin soft-contoured mallet vase with a flaring mouth, a waisted neck, a pear-shaped tapering body, and a footring. It has a specially carved wood stand. On the center of the exterior body are two famille rose* medallions of theatrical scenes on a white background. One medallion depicts a lady sitting at a table and looking at herself in a mirror. An incense burner is on the table and a flower pot is placed on a shelf next to the mirror. The other medallion on the reverse side illustrates two ladies (one is likely the master and the other is her attendant judging by their hairstyles) reading a book together at a table. An inkstone, a brush holder, and a pile of books are spread out on the table. A shelf with antiques and flower pots is to the left of them. Apart from the two medallions, the rest of this small vase is fully adorned with many-colored famille rose decorations symbolic of good fortune, wealth, purity and longevity, such as cloud collars, rosettes, lanterns, peaches, peonies, Chinese roses, plantain leaf designs, the Eight Buddhist Emblems, Chinese "shou" (longevity) characters, stylized lotus petal designs, polygonal designs which symbolize good fortune, wealth, purity and longevity. On the base of the footring there is an inscribed seal mark of "da qing qianlong nian zhi" (Made during the Qianlong reign of the Great Qing) in three columns. However, the ladies depicted on this vase here are typical female representations of the late Qing period. All of them are depicted with an egg-shaped face, willow leaf-shaped eye brows, and a cherry-shaped bright red mouth. These features were standards of beauty at that time. Further, the porcelain vessels produced during the Daoguang period (1821-1850) and later periods are frequently decorated with roundels of decoration against incised colored backgrounds that are covered with floral motifs. Therefore, the dating of this small vase should be the late Qing period, during or after the Daoguang reign. Famille rose (fen cai) refers to a palette developed in the same basis of the famille verte palette (kang xi wu cai) of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty and which was under the direct influence of the enamel decoration ware. In the last years of the Kangxi reign, foreign rouge-red enamel was used to color flower petals. This started the trend toward a new palette (known in the West as famille rose) during the succeeding Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. The famille rose is characteristically used in this way: glassy white (bo li bai) in which an opaque white enamel (lead arsenate) is employed as the base for coloring garments or flower petals; also, rue oil is used as the drying oil in mixing some pigments. Many enamels of the palette include certain imported materials, such foreign red, foreign yellow, foreign green, and foreign white. Compared with the famille verte, the new palette fires at a lower temperature and has a wider color range. It also appears softer and gentler, hence its other name 'soft colors' (ruan cai). During the Yongzheng reign, famille rose wares reached their zenith, replacing the famille verte of the Kangxi reign and becoming the dominate palette in overglaze decoration. The decoration was painted not only on a white background, but also on such colored backgrounds as coral, red, light green, caramel, black, etc. During the Qianlong reign, new techniques continued to develop. As a departure from the earlier simple washing method, flower petals in rouge red were outlined. More colors began to appear as the background. The designs also grew increasingly complex, especially in the case of wares with a red or green phoenix tail design as the background (feng wei wen), which was fashionable in the late Qianlong and early Jiaqing period. As this new decorative technique used many imported materials, and it method of mixing pigments was also 'foreign', it acquired the name 'foreign colors' (yang cai) in the Qianlong reign. * The Eight Buddhist Emblems consist of the wheel, the conch, the canopy, the umbrella, the lotus flower, the vase, the fish, and the knot (sometimes one of these is replaced by the flaming pearl). Often, each of the emblems is combined with a lotus spray to form a design. They were introduced from the Tibetan Lamaist art in the Yuan dynasty and were popular decorative elements during the Ming and Qing. These emblems were impressed on Yuan Jingdezhen egg-white wares and Longqun celadons, and also on Ming sweet white wares of the Yongle reign. From the Xuande reign on, they were painted in an underglaze blue, in the five-color (wu cai) palette, in the contasting color (dou cai) technique and in yellow decoration on a green ground. During the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing dynasty, this design was painted in the famille rose palette and enamel decoration. The arrangement of the emblems had been random before the Yongle reign, when the order of the wheel, the conch, the canopy, the umbrella, the lotus flower, the fish, the vase, and the knot was established. During the Wanli reign to the Qing dynasty, the established order was the wheel, followed by the conch, the umbrella, the canopy, the lotus flower, the vase, the fish, and the knot. After the Qianlong reign, this order was not followed on some vessels. Wares with this design were all produced in Jingdezhen except for some fa hua glazed wares.	Qing dynasty; Daoguang reign

15.	A Tui or Covenant Vessel	This Tui was among the ritual vessels used for the worship of the ancestors. This practice was deeply embedded into the life of the Chinese people throughout the span of China's long history. The essence of the ancient Sages' and Emperors' knowledge devises the designs of ritualistic objects of archaic Chinese art, which purvey the format of the spiritual and intellectual ideals of the peoples who used them. The Tui has two geometric and symmetrical thick handles adorned with the Key-fret incised pattern; on top of each handle is a square design of cloud forms in the shape of lingzhi fungi (a symbol of immortality). The shape of the belly of the cup is uneven. It is embellished with incised lines indicating the chrysanthemum surrounded by winding lotus stems and buds. As a result of aging and handling, the scratch incised patterns on the inner rim of the cup and the handles, and the floral embossed pattern have worn away. There is a slightly concave spot near the bottom of the cup. The brown diagonal lines on the tan and beige color form an atypical texture for the nephrite cup.	Song dynasty

16.	Abacus	Research in progress

17.	Abacus	Research in progress

18.	Agate vase	Research in progress.

19.	Altar ching	A pale celadon-toned white Buddhist altar ching. A small round jade ring has suspended from it the ching which is decorated with the grain pattern and scroll design. Suspended from this is the dual dragons design embracing a sphere, and through the base of the dual dragons is a red cord which is tied to a white round circle which forms part of the main bell. Around this part are four dragon heads. Body of the ching is decorated with key fret design. There are also bats on this part. There is a wood stand that suspends the bell, but it is broken.	Ming dynasty

20.	Altar screen	Fine imperial court ancestral altar screen created as oval plaque decorated with the gourd vine and cicadae. The base of the framed plaque is created in fine teakwood and carved in the form of lotus in bud and leaf with crabs amid the water plant life.	Ming dynasty