● Paper
● Handscroll
● National treasure
● Further reading

Designated a National Treasure in 2015, this extensive scroll, measuring over five meters long, brings together a painting of lotus gathering by Tang Yin, a cursive calligraphy on the same theme by Wen Peng, an added scene signed by Xiang Yuanbian, and various poems by the Qianlong Emperor. This single work unites painting, calligraphy, and poetry.

The lotus-gathering theme is layered in meaning. On the surface, it shows women at work in the waterways of Jiangnan; in literati culture, it could also evoke romantic longing, scholarly frustration, or nostalgia for a lost homeland. The scroll further records changing modes of collecting, viewing, and interpreting art from the mid-Ming period to the Qing dynasty by imperial and private owners.

Carved from jade, this brush pot is decorated on its exterior using two techniques—deep incised carving and multi-layered relief—that together bring the lotus-gathering scene vividly to life.

The vessel was conceived as a narrative in the round. On one side, a scholar stands on a pavilion terrace, flywhisk in hand, directing attendants as they gather lotus pods and blossoms; the pond surface ripples as if stirred by a gentle breeze. On the other, a scholar with a feather fan exchanges a wordless glance with a boy carrying lotus flowers and leaves. The angular, sharply defined carving at varied depths is characteristic of jade work of the Qianlong period.

Viewed as a whole, the decoration recalls a painting rendered in three dimensions. Such works, depicting literati pastimes or celebrated landscapes, were known as ‘jade paintings’ and reflect the aesthetic preferences of the Qianlong Emperor. Here, the lotus-gathering theme anchors the composition, accompanied by motifs of scholars at leisure, a pavilion, and a rippling pond, together with the flywhisk and feather fan—an eloquent portrait of the cultivated man's summer.

Shaped like a banana leaf, this fan was prized for its cooling function in summer. The craftsman combined multiple materials with exceptional skill: a tortoiseshell frame surrounds a face woven from split ivory floss in a mat-like weave, inlaid with crimson-stained-ivory peony branches, kingfisher and daisy. A central rib with openwork enamel and stained-ivory fittings leads to a handle decorated with enamel kui-dragon motifs on a blue ground.

Qing imperial records note that, in the mid to late Qianlong reign, ivory-floss fans were regularly presented as tribute to mark the Dragon Boat Festival, which attests to their prestige. Uniting ivory, tortoiseshell, enamel and mottled bamboo, the fan exemplifies the refinement of Qing craftsmanship in the 18th and 19th centuries and is a perfect marriage of function and beauty.

● National treasure

Shaped as a reclining boy, this pillow presents a figure at ease, lying face down on a low couch, his head resting on crossed hands, eyes open and alert, lips slightly parted. He wears a long robe and trousers beneath a brocade vest and holds a jeweled ball with silk tassels. His legs, bent and with the feet raised behind him, form a gently curved surface for the user's head.

Porcelain pillows were valued for their cooling effect. In a poem written to thank the giver of a celadon pillow, the Northern Song poet Zhang Lei likened its chill to a breeze that refreshed the head and temples. Such qualities made them especially suited to summer use.

The glaze is smooth and lustrous, and the modelling combines precision with lively expression, both playful and composed. Figures of children were associated with wishes for abundant offspring. Three pillows of this type are known; this is the best-preserved example and bears an inscribed poem on its base by the Qianlong Emperor. It ranks among the finest figural ceramics of the Ding ware kilns.

Worn at the waist during the warmer months in the Qing dynasty, summer belts combined comfort with display. Typically woven from yellow silk, their floral lattice design allowed air to circulate while remaining soft against the skin. The length could be adjusted and secured by metal fittings. Beyond their practical use, summer belts signaled status and refinement.

●Summer belt with gilt-bronze and tourmaline buckle

The buckle is set in gilt bronze and inlaid with peach-shaped yellow and square-cut pink tourmalines, together with oval shell pearl. On the reverse, an openwork ice-plum blossom motif occupies the center, flanked by scrolling floral designs with a metal stud below. A metal hook at the end of the belt fastens to this stud. The workmanship is precise and controlled, with a restrained richness and elegance.

●Summer belt with jadeite openwork chi-dragon buckle

Carved from jadeite of exceptional quality, the buckle has a luminous green tone veined with white. The hook plate and clasp ring, both slightly rectangular, are adorned with chi-dragons holding lingzhi fungus in their mouths. The dragons are rendered with fluid movement; the fungus is full and rounded. The hook takes the form of a chi-dragon head, echoing the design above. Exquisite craftsmanship and clean lines bring out the stone's natural luster.

The bowl has a flared rim, gently curving sides, and a low foot ring. Plain beneath its lid, it resembles a vessel of ice. Rock crystal, described in classical Chinese as “ice of a thousand years,” was valued for its clarity and purity. The 14th-century connoisseurship text Gegu yaolun notes its transparency, hardness and brittleness, and its whiteness and luminosity. In modern terms, it is silicon dioxide: quartz in its most perfectly crystallized, transparent form.

Preserved from the Qing imperial collection, this bowl embodies the culture of summer refinement. In his seasonal verses, the Jiaqing Emperor evokes chilled plum drinks and cooled fruits served in “ice bowls” that were prized for their ability to refresh. Such imagery readily calls to mind a vessel of this kind, which may have held iced delicacies at court. Precious in material and austere in form, it unites utility and beauty in an object as cool and clear as ice itself, a consummate expression of the ancient art of keeping cool.