Description A group of mixed items including four bracelets, three necklaces, six figurines, one lacquer vase, and a carved wooden element. Lacquer black vase with a dragon chasing a pearl and with a fixed stand. Two brown clay ceramic Fu dogs with a three-panel stamp in their base. Two light brown clay Fu dogs with black embellishments and spring tails. A large, hand-carved bird with a base that appears to belong to a larger item. A carved, wooden turtle with inset eyes. A jade plant with white, purple, and green jade. Four bracelets in wood, plastic, and copper wrap in various sizes in three distinct styles. One necklace has large, carved, wooden beads separated by red cloth discs. One necklace consists of strung discs in red, and another necklace has discs in red and a variety of other colors. Dimensions are: Black vase: 8 inches tall X 3 1/4 inches diameter; 23 cm tall X 8.3 cm diameter. Small Fu dogs in dark brown: 3 1/8 inches tall X 3 inches wide X 2 1/4 inches deep; 7.9 cm tall X 7.6 cm wide X 5.7 cm deep. Carved turtle: 1 inch tall X 2 3/4 inches wide X 1 1/2 inches deep; 2.5 cm tall X 7 cm wide X 3.8 cm deep. All measurements are approximate.
Condition Report Ceramic Fu dogs have base chips and minor chips to the figures. One Fu dog is missing spring and tail. Jade plant has wrapping missing from copper wires and loose branches. Missing side panel from the square carved item, appears to be a dovetail piece.
Provenance From the old collection of Mr. William Wu, San Francisco, USA. William Wu (1939-2007) was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was young. In 1957, he was admitted to the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University. Because of his interest in history, in 1979 he received a doctorate in art history from Princeton University focusing on the Chinese artist Gong Xian. After graduation, he was successively employed as a professor of art history at Dartmouth, Oberlin, and other colleges. He later settled in San Francisco, California, where he presided over the Chinese Cultural Center, held regular cultural exhibitions, and devoted himself to introducing Chinese culture and artists to Western audiences. During the 1980s, he traveled between San Francisco and Shanghai and became an important bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges. Professor William Wu and the famous movie star Jet Li are distant relatives, and he was a great help in the early years of Jet Li's career development. Mr. Wu maintained contact with Jet Li during his life.