Chinese Peking glass is a traditional art form that starts with a one-color glass base, dipped into contrasting colored glass one layer at a time. The artist then carves away portions of the overlaid glass to reveal layers of other colors underneath, following certain designs. It is a lengthy and tedious process that is time consuming and labor intensive. However, the result is exquisite and exotic, unlike carved glass from other countries and regions.

The “I Ching” or “Book of Changes” is a book of divination which is believed to be one of the very oldest of Chinese texts. It has been used by the Chinese for some three thousand years in order to predict the future and has in recent years also enjoyed widespread popularity in the West. In the I Ching two three-line trigrams are combined to make a hexagram. There are eight trigrams, each named for a specific attribute, and sixty-four hexagrams. The solid line represents yang, the masculine, creative principle. The open line represents yin, the feminine, receptive principle. These principles are also represented in a common circular symbol known in the West as the yin-yang diagram. The shape of the yin and yang sections of the symbol provides a sense of the continual movement of these two energies, yin to yang and yang to yin, causing everything in life to happen.

A Chinese scholar’s desk would have been incomplete without a brush washer. The yin and yang design on this example has a symbolic decoration that would have been prized by the literati. It is uncommon to find this indispensable scholar’s item made of Peking glass.

Door of Hope dolls have become highly collectible treasures, in part, because of their fascinating history. In 1900, five missionary ladies started the Door of Hope Mission in Shanghai. They opened schools for destitute young girls so they could learn to support themselves. As a means to learn sewing skills, the girls dressed dolls. These beautifully created and utterly different dolls are magnificent in their carvings and costuming. Heads and hands were carved from Chinese “Niponga wood” or pear wood, a light colored hardwood that is tough and difficult to carve. In its natural color it resembles the ivory of the Chinese skin. Touches of paint were then added for the lips, eyes and hair. The dolls were supplied by craftsmen skilled in wood carving and then meticulously dressed in Chinese clothing with amazing detail by the young girls. Frog closures, tiny undergarments and minute embroideries all accented these wonderful garments. Each girl could dress only about one doll a month, and the relatively low volume of production of these dolls has increased their scarcity.

Production of Door of Hope dolls continued until the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1937, at which time most of the estimated total production of 20,000 Door of Hope dolls had already been made. There were approximately 26 standard characters representing differing Chinese social classes. The Bride and Bridegroom, which were at the top of the hierarchy, were always among the most expensive of all the Door of Hope doll characters.

Door of Hope dolls have become highly collectible treasures, in part, because of their fascinating history. In 1900, five missionary ladies started the Door of Hope Mission in Shanghai. They opened schools for destitute young girls so they could learn to support themselves. As a means to learn sewing skills, the girls dressed dolls. These beautifully created and utterly different dolls are magnificent in their carvings and costuming. Heads and hands were carved from Chinese “Niponga wood” or pear wood, a light colored hardwood that is tough and difficult to carve. In its natural color it resembles the ivory of the Chinese skin. Touches of paint were then added for the lips, eyes and hair. The dolls were supplied by craftsmen skilled in wood carving and then meticulously dressed in Chinese clothing with amazing detail by the young girls. Frog closures, tiny undergarments and minute embroideries all accented these wonderful garments.

There were approximately 26 standard and premium characters representing differing Chinese social classes. Each girl could dress only about one doll a month, and the relatively low volume of production of these dolls has increased their scarcity. Production of Door of Hope dolls continued until the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1937, at which time most of the estimated total production of 20,000 Door of Hope dolls had already been made. The Buddhist Priest is considered to be one of the harder-to-find premium Door of Hope characters, and this one would be a superb addition to any Door of Hope doll collection.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), Japan began to import great quantities of silk from China. Silk was one of the most important imports into Japan, and it is believed that ito-in were affixed to shipping cases containing silk. It may be that they were used to seal the package of silk, or that they were placed on receipts as proof of the transaction. Ito-in might also have been attached to silk shipments as a sort of certificate of the origin or quality of the goods. Ito-in means literally “thread seal.” They were also called “hakata-in,” or seals from Hakata, a trade port which played a leading role in the trade with China during this period.

Ito-in are bronze seals which are lighter in weight and smaller in size than traditional bronze seals. They were cast by a special method to make the inside of the grip hollow in order to minimize the weight, and the base was considerably thinner than ordinary seals. This indicates that ito-in were usually attached to something. Another name for them is “himo-in,” or “seals with cord.” Without exception, every existing ito-in has an aperture through which a cord can easily pass.

Experts differ on the question of whether these seals originated in Japan or China, and their origin is shrouded in mystery. Ito-in are not seals in the strict sense of the word -- they were not made for use exclusively as seals. They have engraved designs which look at first sight like strange forms of Chinese characters, yet with very few exceptions, they cannot be read. Moreover, there are duplicates in the inscriptions as well as in the figures on the grips, so they were presumably cast from the same mold which was used over and over again. If ito-in were made as seals, there should not have been duplicates. The grips were richly decorated with animal or human figures, and they were cast in numerous shapes. Their overall features had more in common with Yuan and Ming dynasty seals than with Japanese seals of the same time period. Additionally, the clothing, hair styles and facial expressions of the human figures used for the grip are definitely Chinese, and the handling of animal motifs is permeated with a strong Chinese influence. Despite this, ito-in were regarded as seals in Japan, as the name itself reveals. They were even used as personal seals by many daimyo, including Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who used ito-in often in their documents.

Ito-in are also of interest due to their considerable influence on the development of netsuke, but that is another whole area of discussion unto itself. We have learned these details from an incredibly fascinating article, “Ito-In Japanese Silk Seals: An Inspiration for Netsuke?” by Kinya Niiseki (ARTS OF ASIA, July/August 1979) where seals and stamps similar to this one are copiously illustrated.

The alloy paktong has a fascinating history. Centuries before nickel was isolated in the west, the Chinese had produced an alloy of zinc, copper and nickel which had the lustrous sheen and color tone of silver, was appreciably harder than silver, and did not tarnish in use. Many examples of this alloy have a particularly pleasing color which is silver-bright but possesses what has been termed a “soul of gold.” For additional information about paktong, see our article on the subject in ARTS OF ASIA, Nov/Dec. 1992.

CONDITION is excellent, with normal wear consistent with age and usage.

CONDITION is excellent, with no chips, cracks or restoration.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), Japan began to import great quantities of silk from China. Silk was one of the most important imports into Japan, and it is believed that ito-in were affixed to shipping cases containing silk. It may be that they were used to seal the package of silk, or that they were placed on receipts as proof of the transaction. Ito-in might also have been attached to silk shipments as a sort of certificate of the origin or quality of the goods. Ito-in means literally “thread seal.” They were also called “hakata-in,” or seals from Hakata, a trade port which played a leading role in the trade with China during this period.

Ito-in are bronze seals which are lighter in weight and smaller in size than traditional bronze seals. They were cast by a special method to make the inside of the grip hollow in order to minimize the weight, and the base was considerably thinner than ordinary seals. This indicates that ito-in were usually attached to something. Another name for them is “himo-in,” or “seals with cord.” Without exception, every existing ito-in has an aperture through which a cord can easily pass.

Experts differ on the question of whether these seals originated in Japan or China, and their origin is shrouded in mystery. Ito-in are not seals in the strict sense of the word -- they were not made for use exclusively as seals. They have engraved designs which look at first sight like strange forms of Chinese characters, yet with very few exceptions, they cannot be read. The grips were often decorated with animal or human figures, and they were cast in numerous shapes. Their overall features had more in common with Yuan and Ming dynasty seals than with Japanese seals of the same time period. Additionally, the clothing, hair styles and facial expressions of the human figures used for the grip are definitely Chinese, and the handling of animal motifs is permeated with a strong Chinese influence. Despite this, ito-in were regarded as seals in Japan, as the name itself reveals. They were even used as personal seals by many daimyo, including Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who used ito-in often in their documents.

Ito-in are also of interest due to their considerable influence on the development of netsuke, but that is another whole area of discussion unto itself. We have learned these details from an incredibly fascinating article, “Ito-In Japanese Silk Seals: An Inspiration for Netsuke?” by Kinya Niiseki (ARTS OF ASIA, July/August 1979) where seals and stamps similar to this one are copiously illustrated.

CONDITION is excellent, with wonderful patina and wear from centuries of handling.

An object with definite ritual associations, censers such as these were cast in the shape of a fairy mountain and often covered with scenes from nature modeled in low relief. Its base is lapped by the waves of the Eastern Sea, while the openings along the peak emit the incense smoke symbolizing the cloud-vapor (“yun-ch’i”) which is the exhalation of the fairy mountain. According to traditional Chinese belief, all nature is alive and “breathing.”

CONDITION is excellent, and the patina of age is wonderful.

The seal was an integral component of the Chinese scholar’s desk. In addition to correspondence and documents, seal marks are found most often on scroll paintings as signatures of the artist and proof of ownership by dignitaries. Inscriptions on seals became greatly expanded to carry long phrases and names of studios. Consequently, seals as a kind of certifying identification changed into artistic creations, focused on aesthetic appreciation and developed to become a unique art form.

CONDITION is excellent.

The alloy paktong has a fascinating history. Centuries before nickel was isolated in the west, the Chinese had produced an alloy of zinc, copper and nickel which had the lustrous sheen and color tone of silver, was appreciably harder than silver, and did not tarnish in use. Paktong was often found as mountings, hinges and handles on the finest Ming and Ching Dynasty furniture and boxes, and many items for the scholar’s desk were crafted of this metal. For additional information about paktong, see our article in ARTS OF ASIA, Nov/Dec. 1992.

In the Ming and Ching dynasties, civic officials were known not as bureaucrats but as literati, and these gentlemen-scholars were among the elite of traditional Chinese society. These eyeglasses are the perfect accoutrement for someone recreating a Chinese scholar’s studio in 18th or 19th century style and are quite rare.

CONDITION of the glasses is excellent. The paktong frame has an aged pewter-like patina; the superficial scratching on the lenses is consistent with age and usage. The shagreen case is in good used condition, with signs of wear primarily along the edges.