Like the pair of vases on the left, the base of the bowl bears the four-character mark Qianlong nian zhi (made in the Qianlong period). The bowl’s sides are decorated with peonies, a butterfly and a phoenix bird as symbols for luck and a long life. It is cut in a technique that has a long tradition in Chinese jade carving. Also several thousand years old is the Chinese experience with ceramic glazes and porcelain colours. Chinese craftsmen apparently contributed a significant knowledge to the impressive creations of the Jesuit Glass workshop of Beijing palace. The mastership that was exerted in the making of gold-ruby Glass, a notoriously challenging process, is nevertheless amazing. Gold-ruby Glass seems to have been introduced simultaneously with red ‘famille rose’ porcelain decoration. (Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk)