Objects & stories

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust · 2014 exhibition photograph

Palace Museum, Beijing; image published by the Hong Kong Information Services Department

Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh’s Chair, 1888. The National Gallery, London. Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924. NG3862 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

news.gov.hk

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Showing 24 of 305 catalogue entries

CHAIR-001

Battle Abbey ceremonial chair

W.56-1980Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

A Gothic seat designed to turn an English country house into a stage for history. Richard Bridgens and George Bullock made it for Battle Abbey, near the battlefield of 1066. The V&A records both its appearance in Naomi Szeto’s catalogue and its loan to Hong Kong.

Date: ca. 1815-1817
Place of origin: London
Maker: Bridgens, Richard (designer); Bullock, George (maker)
Material: Carved oak
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.56-1980

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 43. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 43; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-002

Italian X-framed armchair

7196-1860Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

Italian walnut armchair with curved crossed ribs, carved armrests and a decorative backrest, V&A 7196-1860. — Carved walnut · Italy, sixteenth century; later restorations© Victoria and Albert Museum, London. · V&A image terms (opens in a new tab)

An X-shaped seat carried an old vocabulary of rank into the Renaissance household. This Italian walnut chair appears on page 43 of the catalogue and travelled to the Hong Kong exhibition.

Date: 16th century
Place of origin: Italy
Material: Carved walnut
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: 7196-1860

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 43. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 43; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-003

Italian sgabello chair

7201:1-1860Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

This sculptural walnut chair could be moved into place when guests arrived. Sgabelli furnished the long reception rooms of Venetian homes. Its carved display surface and its history of later restoration both matter to understanding the object.

Date: 1550-1600 (With some parts probably 19th century)
Place of origin: Italy (probably Veneto)
Material: Walnut, carved
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: 7201:1-1860

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 46. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 46; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-004

Perceval–Compton Windsor armchair from Enmore Castle

W.34-1976Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

Windsor armchair from Enmore Castle, painted red and white with the Perceval and Compton coat of arms on its back. — Painted beech and elm · England · dated 1756© Victoria and Albert Museum, London. W.34-1976. · V&A image terms (opens in a new tab)

A humble Windsor form became a family announcement. Its red-and-white paint, heraldic arms, house name and date made the owner’s identity visible to everyone entering the hall. The catalogue features the chair on page 60.

Date: 1756 (museum’s current date; later-date proposal recorded and contested)
Place of origin: England
Material: Beech and elm, with painted decoration
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.34-1976

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 60. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 60; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-005

Queen Victoria’s Gothic armchair from the Coburg suite

W.10-1967Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

A Gothic armchair from Queen Victoria’s Coburg suite, with tall carved spires, winged creatures and dark red upholstery. — A chair from the Coburg suite · carved oak and red plush · about 1851© Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Coburg suite, W.10-1967; given by the University of Edinburgh. · V&A image terms (opens in a new tab)

Created for the Great Exhibition of 1851, this richly carved seat later furnished Queen Victoria’s drawing room at Holyrood Palace. The catalogue follows a chair whose public exhibition life and royal domestic life were closely connected.

Date: c. 1851
Place of origin: Coburg
Maker: Rothbart, Ferdinand (designer); Kolb, Th. (designer); Thomas Hoffmeister and Theodor Behrens (manufacturer)
Material: Carved oak and pine, the upholstery of woollen plush and wool tassels, the nails brass.
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.10-1967

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The V&A set record cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, p.84, and identifies one member as lent under W.10C-1987. The same record catalogues the suite as W.10-1967.

Catalogue p. 84; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

One member of the Coburg chair suite, represented through the V&A set record.

CHAIR-006

Italian carved and partly gilded stool

23-1891Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

A stool could quietly express a person’s place in the household. This Renaissance example appears in the catalogue’s discussion of seating, with a history shaped by both early use and later restoration.

Date: 16th century (The seat replaced in the 19th century)
Place of origin: Italy
Material: Walnut wood, carved and partly gilded
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: 23-1891

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 135. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 135; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-007

Armchair bearing Marie-Antoinette’s MA monogram

W.7-1956Individual object · Illustrated in the catalogue; explicitly not lentChairs through time

The royal monogram turns an elegant chair into an object of personal identity. The V&A identifies this armchair in Naomi Szeto’s catalogue while explicitly stating that it was not lent to the Hong Kong exhibition.

Date: ca. 1785-ca. 1790
Place of origin: Paris
Maker: Sené, Jean-Baptiste-Claude (menuisier; attributed to)
Material: Walnut, carved and painted, upholstered in silk
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.7-1956

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 164. It explicitly states the object was NOT lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 164; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-008

Gouty chair with hand-cranked propulsion

W.103-1978Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

This upholstered armchair could move with its sitter. Handles on the arms turned the wheels, bringing mobility into the familiar shape of a comfortable chair. Naomi Szeto’s catalogue features the V&A example on page 261.

Date: ca. 1800
Place of origin: England
Material: Mahogany, with brass fittings and black horsehair upholstery
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.103-1978

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 261. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 261; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-009

Carved walnut bidet with Moustiers earthenware bowl

478 toB-1905Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

A chair could conceal the practical work of personal hygiene. This elaborately carved bidet also asks a second question: how old is an antique? The V&A now considers it a later imitation of an eighteenth-century form.

Date: 1870-1890 (probably, in imitation of bidets of the mid-eighteenth century); ca. 1870-1890
Place of origin: France
Maker: Moustiers pottery factory (manufacturer; bowl)
Material: Carved walnut, the bowl of tin-glazed earthenware
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: 478 toB-1905

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 269. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 269; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-010

Church chair from St Philip’s Cathedral, Birmingham

W.38-1980Individual object · Illustrated in the catalogue; explicitly not lentChairs through time

Plain wooden church chair with a slatted back, shaped seat and metal umbrella or walking-stick holder at the side. — Beech, ash and cast-iron fittings · England, 1860–1875© Victoria and Albert Museum, London. · V&A terms of use (opens in a new tab)

A small set of fittings reveals how a chair supported worship: space for hymn books, an umbrella or walking stick holder, and a hook for a kneeler. It appears in the catalogue, although the V&A says the chair itself remained at home.

Date: 1860-1875
Place of origin: Great Britain
Material: Beech, with an ash seat and cast iron fittings
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.38-1980

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 359. It explicitly states the object was NOT lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 359; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-011

Alma-Tadema armchair for Henry Gurdon Marquand’s music room

W.25:1, 2-1980Individual object · Illustrated in the catalogue; explicitly not lentChairs through time

Alma-Tadema music-room armchair with curved upholstered back, decorative inlay and tasseled seat, V&A W.25:1, 2-1980. — Designed by Lawrence Alma-Tadema · London, 1884–1886© Victoria and Albert Museum, London. · V&A image terms (opens in a new tab)

A painter’s vision of antiquity became a room someone could inhabit. Lawrence Alma-Tadema designed this richly inlaid armchair for Marquand’s New York music room. The catalogue includes it; the V&A expressly records that it was not lent.

Date: 1884-1886
Place of origin: London
Maker: Alma-Tadema, Lawrence (Sir) (designer); Johnstone, Norman and Company (maker)
Material: Mahogany, with cedar and ebony veneer, carving and inlay of several woods, ivory and abalone shell, replaced upholstery
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.25:1, 2-1980

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 387. It explicitly states the object was NOT lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 387; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-012

Richard Cosway’s sitter’s chair

W.1-1973Individual object · Illustrated in the catalogue; explicitly not lentChairs through time

Richard Cosway’s Rococo sitter’s chair, with a carved gilt frame and bright pink silk upholstery. — Carved and gilded wood with modern silk upholstery · about 1755© Victoria and Albert Museum, London. · V&A terms of use (opens in a new tab)

One chair can appear in many different lives. Richard Cosway used this Rococo armchair as a studio prop, allowing its curves to pass from furniture into portraits. It is a confirmed catalogue illustration, with no physical loan to Hong Kong.

Date: ca. 1755
Place of origin: London
Maker: Lock, Matthias (designer and maker)
Material: Limewood and pine, carved and gilded; modern silk damask upholstery
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.1-1973

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 392. It explicitly states the object was NOT lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 392; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-013

Folding carrying chair

W.3:1, 2-1950Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

The seat lifts, the sides fold and the back drops down. This portable chair was designed to collapse for travel and to receive carrying poles, linking furniture to transport and care. The V&A confirms its catalogue entry and Hong Kong loan.

Date: ca. 1780 (Possibly); ca. 1870
Place of origin: Great Britain
Material: Mahogany, with cane seat and iron and brass fittings
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.3:1, 2-1950

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 421. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 421; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-014

Caned walnut armchair with lamb-and-flag crest

W.16-1955Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

Tall walnut armchair with a caned seat and back, intricate carving and lamb-and-flag crest, V&A W.16-1955. — Carved walnut and cane · England, probably 1700–1720© Victoria and Albert Museum, London. · V&A image terms (opens in a new tab)

The tiny emblem at the top of this chair has prompted a large historical question. A lamb and flag may connect it to a religious institution. The chair’s catalogue entry offers a route into the evidence behind an attribution.

Date: 1700-1720
Place of origin: England
Material: Carved walnut, with caned seat and back
Collection / location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Accession: W.16-1955

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

The holding museum explicitly cites Naomi Yin-yin Szeto’s 2014 catalogue, page 443. It explicitly states this object was lent to the exhibition.

Catalogue p. 443; V&A API record.bibliographicReferences

CHAIR-015

Interior of Roman Building with Figures

78.PA.72Individual object · Discussed or illustrated in her publicationChairs through time

An imagined Roman gathering helps tell the history of a real chair form. Forti built his scene from classical models, including the curved klismos chair. Getty records the painting as an illustration in Naomi Szeto’s 2014 catalogue.

Date: Late nineteenth century
Maker: Ettore Forti
Material: Oil on canvas
Collection / location: J. Paul Getty Museum
Accession: 78.PA.72

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Getty’s bibliography explicitly identifies Szeto’s catalogue p.37, illustrated.

Catalogue p.37, ill.; Getty Bibliography

Interior of Roman Building with Figures (opens in a new tab)

CHAIR-016

Bidford Chair / Falcon Inn Chair

Individual object · Documented curatorial researchChairs through time

The Bidford Chair displayed at the 2014 Hong Kong exhibition. — Historic wooden chair · about 1630Shakespeare Birthplace Trust · 2014 exhibition photograph

Naomi Szeto travelled to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to ask for this chair. Its legend claimed Shakespeare had sat in it during a drinking contest. Its date tells another story: it was probably made after he died. The tension between the object and the legend is the point of the story.

Date: c. 1630
Material: Wood (oak in historical descriptions; current Trust article describes dark wood)
Collection / location: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Collections Manager Paul Taylor states that Naomi Yy Szeto visited in 2013 and requested this loan; he accompanied the Bidford Chair to Hong Kong in May 2014.

Paul Taylor, 11 July 2014; Emily White, 3 February 2022

CHAIR-017

Wooden Stool with Latticework Bracing

古埃及格構小木凳（名稱譯述）37.45E (inferred match)Individual object · Documented curatorial researchChairs through time

This small wooden stool survived for more than three millennia. Naomi Szeto drew attention to its curved seat: comfort mattered to its maker too. Comparable stools were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb, but this is not evidence that this stool belonged to the pharaoh.

Date: c.1539–1295 BCE, Dynasty 18, New Kingdom
Material: Wood, traces of ground and pigment in Brooklyn record
Collection / location: Brooklyn Museum (strong cross-source identification)
Accession: 37.45E (inferred match)

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Naomi discusses the ancient curved-seat stool in the official interview. Brooklyn’s museum record gives the same unusual period range and Tutankhamun comparison; the official photograph visibly matches latticework form. A contemporary SCMP interview explicitly identifies the stool as a Brooklyn Museum loan; the accession remains inferred.

News.gov interview and chair-p2.jpg; Brooklyn record 3951

CHAIR-018

Black lacquered folding chair with cloud and dragon design in gold

黑漆髹金雲龍紋交椅Individual object · Documented curatorial researchChairs through time

Black-lacquered imperial folding chair with gold cloud and dragon decoration. — Black lacquer and gold · Qianlong period, 1736–1795Palace Museum, Beijing; image published by the Hong Kong Information Services Department

A folding chair becomes a statement of imperial authority. Dragon-headed arms, gold decoration and carved symbols surround the sitter. Naomi Szeto described finding a painting of Qianlong using this design, bringing furniture and its historical image together.

Date: Qianlong period, Qing dynasty (1736–1795), as presented in 2014
Material: Wood with black lacquer and gold decoration
Collection / location: Palace Museum, Beijing

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Named and discussed by Naomi in the government video; exact object featured in opening press caption.

Official interview; photo 1069386

CHAIR-019

Hongli Enjoying Himself on a Snowy Day

弘歷賞雪圖Individual object · Documented curatorial researchChairs through time

A painted scene can restore the missing person to a chair. Naomi Szeto’s team located this image of Qianlong enjoying snow with his sons to explain the imperial folding chair. The relationship between an object and its representation gives the viewer a way into court life.

Date: Qing dynasty
Maker: Unidentified Qing court painter
Material: Colour on paper (Palace Museum publication)
Collection / location: Palace Museum, Beijing

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Naomi explicitly describes the team’s work finding the painting to match the imperial folding chair.

Official interview; Palace Museum journal reproduction p 55

CHAIR-020

Imperial antler armchair associated with Kangxi and inscribed by Qianlong

鹿角椅故00207860 (strong object match; exhibition does not print accession)Individual object · Documented curatorial researchChairs through time

A hunting trophy became a family lesson. The Palace Museum connects the antlers to deer hunted by Kangxi; Qianlong’s 1772 poem expresses reverence for his grandfather. The chair joins craftsmanship to dynastic memory and instruction.

Date: Qing, Qianlong period in the current Palace Museum record; antlers associated with Kangxi’s hunts; Qianlong poem dated 1772
Maker: Unidentified Qing court craftsmen
Material: Deer antlers and bone; wood and ivory strip recorded by Palace Museum
Collection / location: Palace Museum, Beijing
Accession: 故00207860 (strong object match; exhibition does not print accession)

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Official interview and closing release identify antler chair made from deer hunted by Kangxi. Palace Museum record故00207860 has the same historical association and Qianlong 1772 poem.

Palace Museum collection/gear/234358; official interview

CHAIR-021

Black lacquer backrest inlaid with aromatic zijinding material

黑漆描金靠背非00000303 (matched by unique form/material)Individual object · Associated with the exhibitionChairs through time

This reclining support was made to engage the nose as well as the body. Aromatic tiles were built into its surface and frame, while a hinged support adjusted the angle. Its materials make the history of comfort unusually tangible.

Date: Mid-Qing (Palace Museum); described as Yongzheng’s in 2014 press
Material: Wood, black lacquer, gold decoration, aromatic zijinding inlays
Collection / location: Palace Museum, Beijing
Accession: 非00000303 (matched by unique form/material)

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Contemporary news identifies this unusual backrest among exhibition pieces; holding museum identifies the only large-scale zijinding-inlaid furniture example in its collection.

Palace Museum collection/gear/228969; June 2014 reporting

CHAIR-022

Qianlong zitan throne, carved screen, incense stands and furnishings

紫檀雕花圍屏、寶座連香几Set or ensemble · Associated with the exhibitionChairs through time

The imperial seat was part of a carefully arranged room. A tall carved screen, incense stands, a footstool and auspicious creatures framed the throne. The arrangement made authority visible before the emperor entered.

Date: Qianlong period, Qing dynasty
Material: Zitan wood for throne/screen/footstool as reported; associated ornaments unspecified
Collection / location: Palace Museum, Beijing

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Contemporary exhibition reporting explicitly describes the carved zitan throne, screen, incense stands, footstool and display ornaments; another report identifies luduan beside it.

on.cc June 6 and Phoenix/China News June 7 reporting

CHAIR-023

Austrian antler chair paired with the Chinese imperial example

Individual object · Associated with the exhibitionChairs through time

The exhibition placed antler chairs from Austria and China in conversation. Their shared material opened a comparison of hunting, rank and dynastic memory, while the Chinese example carried a specifically Manchu lesson.

Material: Antler
Collection / location: Austrian lender

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Official video identifies two antler chairs, one from Austria and one from China.

Official video transcript, comparison of antler chairs

CHAIR-024

Tin Hau deity palanquin from Leung Shuen Wan

天后神輿Individual object · Associated with the exhibitionChairs through time

A seat could carry a deity through the community. Made in 1906, this Tin Hau palanquin formerly served the temple at Leung Shuen Wan in Sai Kung. Its procession connected a sacred image to the people outside the shrine.

Date: 1906
Collection / location: Formerly Leung Shuen Wan Tin Hau Temple, Sai Kung

How it connects to Naomi’s work

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time / 卓椅非凡：穿梭時空看世界 (2014)

Official opening photo caption names the object, dates it 1906, and identifies its former temple and processional use.

Opening photograph 1069388

天后神輿 (opens in a new tab)

281 more catalogue entries

About this catalogue

This catalogue brings together book pages, museum collection records, exhibition documentation and later scholarship.

The 305 entries include 124 individual-object records, 22 sets or ensembles, 107 object types, 15 illustrated objects or designs and 37 publication or collection references. Related records connect groups, types and individual objects.

Download all 305 catalogue entries
Read the catalogue guide

Research updated 9 September 2026.

Look closely: the gold cup of eternal stability

Gold Chalice of Eternal Stability, Qing dynasty. Figure 2 reproduced in Fascination and Affinity, p. 39. — © The Palace Museum · Figure 2, page 39

1The Gold Chalice of Eternal Stability

A jeweled gold cup holds a wish for a dynasty’s future. Naomi reveals how exquisite craftsmanship became part of an emperor’s New Year ritual.

Select a letter to look closer.

A. Dragon handles

Dragon-shaped handles flank the gold vessel. Naomi describes these details within a story of imperial ceremony.

Fascination and Affinity · p. 39

Opening the object catalogue…

1The Gold Chalice of Eternal Stability

A jeweled gold cup holds a wish for a dynasty’s future. Naomi reveals how exquisite craftsmanship became part of an emperor’s New Year ritual.

Select a letter to look closer.

A. Dragon handles

Dragon-shaped handles flank the gold vessel. Naomi describes these details within a story of imperial ceremony.

Fascination and Affinity · p. 39