Wine Ewer, 1662-1722 (porcelain with overglaze enamel)

The ewer is shaped to form two characters, wu jiang, meaning 'without boundaries' The complete Chinese phrase is wan shou wu jiang, meaning, 'May you have ten thousand longevities without boundary.' Although the phrase was originally reserved for emperors and empresses, in the Qing dynasty it became a common birthday greeting, implying that this ewer was made as a birthday gift. Each stroke of the characters is detailed with either rows of red-crowned cranes or yellow-spotted deer nestled among pine trees. Both cranes and deer are symbols of longevity. The pine and crane can also represent a husband and wife.