Culture or time period: East Asian cultures / Materials: Coral (material) - Hearst Museum Portal Search Results

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Hearst Museum object titled Audience chain, accession number 9-21345, described as “Audience Chain” Four sets of 27 black beads separated by amethyst balls and strung on yellow silk cord constitute the front. Back: navy blue, stiff cord, first cased in embroidered red and white ribbon, then looped through a coin-shaped ring of brass, where they meet the lower double cord that runs through another amethyst ball as a red silk cord. Pendant starting from a third hole in this amethyst ball: three-tiered amethyst slide of decreasing width on red braided cord which runs into a black cotton braided tape (11 cm long), its other end looped through an eye in a filt-bronze plaque holding an oval turquoise. As usual, the tape-ends are secured by winding tri-colored threads around them: white - light blue - navy blue - white. Under the turquoise another black tape (16 cm long). Then a silver(?) wire ring secured by a red cord, a small crystal bead and a tear-drop shaped piece of pink quartz capped by a brass(?) bell-shaped cover. Two shoulder pendants are left on this chain. Strung on blue cords and emanating from coin-shaped rings are ten or nine, respectively, corals, the final pendants a smaller version of the pink crystal chain pendant (here grenadine and emerald, respectively). Overall length of chain: 117 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Coral piece, accession number 9-21322, described as Coral piece. Piece of broken-off coral from an ornament. 2.2 cm long. Fide: Ilse M. Fang, 8/28/2001: Coral in China comes from Tibet, because that was a sea bed.

Hearst Museum object titled Needle case, accession number 9-21424a-c, described as Ivory needle case with silver(?) lid. Decoration in relief: A scholar and his acolyte arrive by boat at the foot of a mountain to climb it. Halfway up to the temple at the summit, the scholar rests and fans himself. In their ascent, the pilgrims pass through forests of bamboo, evergreens and deciduous trees. The case hangs by the crimson cord-loop from the button of the Manchu tunic. After a knot and an amber bead it enters the case through the silver lid. After it exits the case, its two ends run through a coral bead and are knotted once more, before they hang loose. Overall length of cord: 29 cm; of ivory case: 8.7 cm, case 1.5 cm diameter. Sewing needles to be stuck into cotton inside tube. a) box bottom, b) box top, c) needle case.

Hearst Museum object titled Netsuke, accession number 9-12552, described as Pipe holder: carved bone, long and narrow. Light relief decoration with incised detail depicts five insects on each side. One side has snail with coral inlaid antennae, wasp with jade eyes and mother of pearl wings (one missing), cricket with jade head, Praying mantis with incised mother-of-pearl belly and yellow shell eyes, and a beetle w/ coral and shell. Other side depicts a slug, locust, dragon fly, bee, and butterfly. each with inlaid eyes. Butterfly has tortoise shell wings. Interior hollowed out for pipe. Cord hole on side L. 20 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Netsuke, accession number 9-12537, described as Carving / Cabinet piece (?) or possibly Netsuke: Carved ivory figure of walking man, left leg raised in step. His face is turned to the left, and is smiling. Slung on his right side is a bag w/ three characters written upon it, a small inlaid piece of coral, and an inlaid mother of pearl 'double gourd'. The entire right hand is broken off, as are the tips of the fingers of the left hand and right toes. Cloud designs incised on the back of the garment. H. 4.5 cm.