Chinese Eternal Youth Sign of Honor, c. 1850

Signs of honor were presented as a gesture of gratitude to individuals who had bettered their community or in acknowledge of a respected person’s birthday. The sign would have been h...

In celebration of the lunar New Year festival, it was traditional all over China to hang special decorations. In a city called Wuqiang, local artists made lacquer scroll paintings laden with symbolism. This framed and finely rendered early 20th century folk painting from Wuqiang features an imperial court official and his family dressed in their best silks. The young boy is dressed in a wonderfully patterned yellow robe to offer Shou Xing...

A scroll and a small lantern depicted in this 19th century painting suggest the romantic notion of a Chinese scholar painting in the evening hours. Re...

Since the 12th century, people in China have used folding screens and doors to partition and decorate their homes - the vivid scenes backing the screens added life and color to a room. This 19th-century painting is delicately brushed of gouache and ink on fabric and was originally part of a set of eight backing a wooden screen in northern China. The figure depicted is one of the mythical Eight Immortals of Taoism. Said to have attained immortality through their studies of the natural world, each of the Eight Immortals represents a different condition in life and together they impart a blessing of prosperity and longevity. Depicted here is immortal Lan Caihe, the patron saint of florists and gardeners. Standing atop a lotus leaf in open water, they hold a gardening hoe in one hand and a basket for flowers...

This impressive sign was once hung above the entrance to a Chinese ancestral hall. It is made from planks of Elmwood covered in layers of thick black tree lacquer for protection from...

Rare 18th-Century Lacquer Screen / Room Divider, Qing Dynasty A rare lacquer screen from the 18th century, crafted in wood. The screen features a sturdy frame with openwork panels at...

A Chinese Qing Dynasty period red lacquered signboard with calligraphy. The wood carved signboard showcases large carved Chinese characters with remnants of gold leaf, flanked wit...

A rare, all original, actual, 19th century Chinese honor plaque commemorating the appointment of the 16th official, Xu Shao Li, The left side bears the inscription “Emperor Tong Zhi,...