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This vase has been converted into a lamp at some point and I am keen to avoid dismantling it so can't view the base. There is a small signature or character held in the hand of one of the figures depicted in image 3. I know nothing at all about the history of my vase lamp so any information, no matter how small, would be greatly appreciated.

The lamp base looks to date to the late Qing era, perhaps the waning years of the Guangxu reign (1875-1908). Its motif appears to reflect an episode from the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

The character is "ling", meaning "to command", "to tell", "to cause", also "good", "honorable", and "a district magistrate". In combination form as "lingjian" (令箭), it is an arrow with a triangular flag attached, bestowed by the emperor as a symbol of conferred authority. I wonder if that could be what the official is carrying.

Best regards,

Bill H.

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