A bowl with the design of nine dragons. It was produced during Emperor Guang Xu.

This tri-color plate was specially made for Empress Dowager Ci Xi (1835-1908) during the reign of Emperor Tong Zhi.

A vase from the reign of Emperor Jia Qing.35 cm high.

This “100 deer zun” was produced during the reign of Emperor Qian Long. 44 cm high.

This bao shi hong or “gem red” vase for cut flowers, produced during the reign of Emperor Kang Xi. 43 cm high.

This porcelain produced during Emperor Yong Zheng resembles the Chinese character dou-bean. In fact, it is almost the same color as a fresh bean.

A fruit holder produced during the reign of Emperor Zheng De (1491-1521), the tenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty,18 cm high.

This is typical of the longquan Kiln in Zhejiang, one of those designated to meet imperial needs of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).The pine, bamboo and plum collectively symbolize high virtue. The an hua technique was employed to produce this-designs were done on the rough cast before the piece was fired and glazed.33 cm high.