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Chinese Flask and Cup A: Flask is made mostly of metal; the neck is undecorated, the top of the body is engraved with double stripes and a wider copper stripe above the middle wood section. The carved wood has 4 shou symbols (longevity) with small cloud formations (heaven) and a few scattered prune blossoms, a scroll (truth), a flywhisk (leadership), a scepter (prosperity), and a vase (a container of all desires and the holder of the elixer of heaven); carved stripes form the decoration on the lower part of the curved flask. The foot of the flask is undecorated metal with a stripe of copper on the rim. An impressed seal on the bottom of the flask roughly translates as: container of everlasting fragrance or King of everlasting fragrance. There are two dents in the metal shoulder of the flask. B: Lid has a plain copper top and rim. The surface of the lid is decorated by engraved double stripes. A small undecorated ring is soldered inside to make the lid fit better. C: Small carved wood cup with metal lining and rim. The wood cup is made of 5 sections and carving has 3 shou characters (longevity), a fan (delicacy of feeling), and a scroll (truth). A seal is impressed on the bottom inside of the cup.

1994.031.011