One circular brass button. Obverse outer circumference presents a geometric pattern surrounding a central design of a bird plants and flowers. Reverse exhibits metal loop.
One serpentine crystal daigou. Red-brown vein. Upper part of obverse presents carved head of a dragon. Obverse body presents incised serpentine botanical design.
One serpentine red-brown wood daigou. Upper part of obverse presents carved head of a dragon. Obverse body presents serpentine relief carving of a dragon.
One creamy-white carved ivory figure. In the form of a flattened cylinder open at both ends presenting the mouth head and limbs of a stylised frog. Figure's flat underside pierced with small circular hole.
One fourth rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia. Comprises a gold-flecked blue sphere threaded between a gilt metal base and cap. Base exhibits stylised botanical pattern; cap is unembellished. Blue sphere chipped on one side with…
One seventh rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia fabricated from gilt metal. Comprises a slightly elongated unembellished sphere disposed between an eight-tier base and single-tier cap. Base and cap exhibit stylised flowers with…
One seventh rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia fabricated from bronze with traces of gilding. Comprises an unembellished sphere threaded between a base and cap. Base exhibits moulded design of birds and flowers; cap exhibits seal…
One sixth rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia. Comprises an opaque white chalcedony sphere threaded between a multi-tiered base and single-tiered cap of gilt metal. Base decoration consists of lotus-like leaf-shaped scrolls and…
One fourth rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia. Comprises an opaque blue and white lapis lazuli sphere threaded between a multi-tiered base and single-tiered cap of gilt metal. Sphere exhibits darker blue vein. Base decoration…
One third rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia. Comprises a transparent blue glass sphere threaded between a multi-tiered base and single-tiered cap of bronze with traces of gilding. Upper base decoration consists of lotus-like…
One fourth rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia. Comprises an opaque dark blue glass sphere threaded between a base and cap of gilt metal. Base presents a moulded design of a stylised serpentine creature with scaled hide and claws.…
One first rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia. Comprises an opaque pink sphere threaded between a base and cap of bronze with traces of gilding. Base presents a stylised moulded design including a badge exhibiting seal character 寿…
One second rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia. Comprises an opaque orange sphere threaded between a base and cap of bronze with traces of gilding. One side of sphere engraved with seal character 寿 shòu (longevity). Base presents a…
One first rank ji guan (Chinese court official's hat) insignia. Comprises an opaque red sphere threaded between a base and cap of gilded bronze. Base presents a stylised moulded design; cap exhibits seal character 寿 shòu (longevity).
One round, copper and green coloured metal harness medallion. Carved patterns on an inner circle with a carved design of four snake-like dragons around the outside, whose heads project beyond the outer circular border. Engraved detail on inner circle…
One dark brown jade pendant in the shape of a couchant lion. One small circular hole piercing spine to belly threaded through with blue cord. Another small circular hole drilled through underside of fore feet.
Two egg-shaped white jade beads. Blue vein. Each bead presents two small holes pierced in one end; threaded through with black cord knotting beads together.
One jade pendant in the form of a couchant lion. Flattened in the frontal plane. One side is almost entirely white; the opposing side exhibits prominent red-brown vein. Small hole pierced through back of mouth.
One white-brown jade pendant in the form of a couchant animal. Darker brown vein. One hole pierced through fore-feet with a red cord threaded through. Incised details.
One broad flat rectangular serpentine white jade sui. Blue vein. One half of complete clasp. Presents pattern of fine cracks. Obverse presents carving of head of a dragon. One round hole pierced through centre.
One circular dark grey jade slotted ring (jue). Medium-sized central hole. Radial slot at the top tapering in width towards central hole. Obverse and reverse present similar carved linear pattern. Two holes near the outer circumference either side of…
One adze-shaped jade object. White with orange-brown vein. Left and right edges present three carved teeth pointing upward. Obverse and reverse exhibit incised pattern of criss-crossing horizontal and diagonal lines.
One ring-shaped translucent green-brown jade pendant. Dark green-brown vein. Ring presents relatively large off-centre circular hole. Obverse and reverse present carved serpentine patterns in shallow relief. Red cord threaded through.
One bi-shaped yellow-white jade pendant. Brown vein. Slightly off-centre small circular hole threaded through with orange cord. Obverse and reverse present incised Chinese character.
One translucent mottled yellow-white jade tablet. Yellow-brown vein. Obverse presents nine rows of incised archaic characters in Bronzeware script that copy 'Stone Drum with Poetry' 石鼓文. Reverse presents pattern of stylised leaves. Two small holes…
One triangular white jade pendant. Blue-brown vein. Pendant presents two birds sitting back to back on a tortoise. Birds cut in shallow relief; markings on tortoise incised.
One dark brown and grey jade ornament in the form of a flattened oval. Circular hole drilled parallel to faces through width. Obverse and reverse present engraved animal heads.
One grey-white jade pendant. Green-brown vein. Two small holes pierced through top. Obverse present eight incised lines of variable length; reverse presents seven incised lines of variable length.
One cylindrical green jade bead. Dark green vein. Slight taper towards top with incised linear pattern. Hole pierced through longitudinal axis threaded through with red cord; knotted at either end to secure bead.
One circular white jade button. Blue-brown vein. Obverse presents relief carving of coiled lizard. Reverse presents transverse piercing threaded through with blue cord.
One long slender slightly curved white jade pin. Obverse presents shallow relief carving of eight figures and serpentine patterns that pierces jade. Reverse is flat. Decorated part of pin surmounted by a spike.
One approximately circular white mutton-fat jade pendant in the form of a coiled animal. Light brown vein. Obverse presents an approximately convex profile separating into several tiers of details incised and carved in shallow relief. Reverse…
One white jade pin. Presents a slightly curved body terminating in a button-shaped head with an incised design comprising ruyi fungal patterns surrounding a central motif in the form of a toothed-wheel.
One long slender white jade pin. Button-shaped head presents incised design comprising ruyi fungal patterns surrounding a central flower. The centre of the flower defines a shallow concavity in which there may have been an inset gemstone.
One wallet: Brown leather wallet with 5-pointed star cut into the front outside surface. Two pockets, one inside each half. Well used but in good condition. Some stitching frayed. Used by Rewi Alley and deposited by Alan Duan, his adopted son,…
One approximately square-shaped dark brown relief carved wood pendant. Both sides present near identical garden landscape designs with cranes and blossoms. Vertical edges exhibit curvilinear ruyi fungal patterns that link into stylised bat motifs at…
One brass daigou comprising five semi-precious stones mounted in an oval brass fitting. Obverse of brass fitting presents an elaborate serpentine botanical relief pattern.
One dark gray circular bronze button with speckles of brown and blue-green corrosion. Obverse convex with moulded embellishments on the rim. Reverse slightly concave with moulded ring.
One red-brown wood daigou comprising two separate components. One component exhibits a hook in the shape of the head of a dragon; the other component exhibits a rectangular loop into which the dragon head hooks. Obverse of both components presents…
One necklace comprising ninety six creamy-white hollow reticulated soft-paste ceramic spheres and three fragments threaded through with light brown twine.
Five hair pins. Each pin consists of a long slender gold- or silver-hued metallic body the upper ends of which terminate in ornate mountings of jade pearl rose quartz and enameled metal.
One gilt filigree brooch in the form of a flattened semi-circle. Obverse presents botanical patterns embellished with turquoise kingfisher feathers (tian tsui) and inset with pearls coral jade and coloured glass. Suspended from the left and right…
One leaf-shaped gilt filigree brooch. Obverse perimeter fashioned into a botanical pattern with tadpole-shaped motifs and embellished with turquoise kingfisher feathers (tian tsui). Obverse centre mounted with a flat carved mutton fat jade motif.…
Green silk tubeteika (in Uzbek called a duppi or kalpoq) - a round, slightly pointed skull-cap from Uzbekistan, quilted and embroidered in cream, black and crimson with an edging of black velvet; lined with crimson cotton. Owned and habitually worn…
One slender serpentine translucent yellow-gold quartz daigou. Darker yellow-gold vein. Upper part of obverse presents carved head of a dragon. Obverse body presents serpentine relief carving of a dragon.
One Japanese globular glazed white ceramic toggle with a multi-coloured design of a robed and coiffed woman walking in a garden beneath the shade of a parasol wielded by a female attendant. Glaze exhibits crackle effect.