House & Garden 
to lie repaired. They had been months 
on their journey to fetch this treasure 
—from China to the Pacific Coast 
of America and thence across the 
continent—and they carefully packed 
the vase and promptly departed on 
their arduous return trip, promising 
to bring back the vase before many 
moons. They left with this New Eng¬ 
land woman, however, another gift 
from Ah Too, an exquisitely carved 
and inlaid box, lined with rose- 
colored washable leather and well 
stocked with gold pieces, to help con¬ 
sole her, so the message ran, for the 
temporary loss of the vase. 
Lady Clare’s Carriage 
During the 14th and 15th Cen¬ 
turies in Merrie England, the gift 
commendable was a bed with bed- 
hangings and furnishings, or else a 
great carriage, carved and elaborate 
with coverture, carpets and cushions. 
Such a carriage as that illustrated 
in the Louterell Psalter, M. Jusse- 
rand says, became in 1355 the prop¬ 
erty of the eldest daughter of Eliza¬ 
beth de Burgh, Lady Clare. Drawn 
by three or four horses, with postil¬ 
lions, its long, tunnel-like body with 
its curtained windows gives us an 
idea of the luxury of the day. 
“The details,” M. Jusserand goes 
on to say, “were extremely elegant. 
The wheels were carved and the 
beams were painted and gilt, the in¬ 
side was hung with those dazzling 
tapestries, the glory of the age; the 
seats were furnished with embroi¬ 
dered cushions; a lady might stretch 
out there, half sitting, half lying; pil¬ 
lows were disposed in the corners as 
if to invite sleep—thus travelled the 
noble lady—” 
Card-tables, work-tables, spinets, 
love-chairs, toilet-glasses and dower- 
chests were all favorite gifts of the 
17th and 18th Centuries. Queen 
Anne’s giving has become a fable. 
If one should count the communion 
sets in this country alone, one might 
find the figures rather astounding. 
The poor lady probably had other 
occupations than the giving of altar 
j.h. Rose. 
The music cabinet or read¬ 
ing table, executed in mar- 
queterie by Marlin Carlin 
has a rising top inlaid with 
a Sevres plaque. Its tripoa 
is ornamented with chasec 
ormolu mountings—indeed 
a worthy and beautifu. 
present jor the great queer 
to select 
In the 18 th Century, as in the 20th, the 
ivork of the best silversmiths was in great 
demand. A tankard of unusual beauty was 
given by two parishes to Martin Hern, and 
a teapot bearing the Pickman arms com¬ 
memorates that famous Salem family. 
Other interesting gifts were the cider 
pitcher of 1810 and the 1724 candlesticks 
20 
years of peaceful, perhaps supercili¬ 
ous, abiding in the home of the New 
England foster mother, this idol is 
now awaiting its ultimate fate. The 
recent attempt of a shabby Lascar 
sailor with well-filled money-belt and 
quite concise information regarding 
the treasure, to buy it from its pres¬ 
ent owner—and, not succeeding, to 
stea l it—suggests that for some rea¬ 
son more potent than we know the 
possession of the idol is desired in 
the country of its creation. There is 
more than an air of mystery about 
the tale; and meanwhile the inscru¬ 
table little cross-legged figure of the 
jade god smiles eternally and extends 
downward its pointing arm polished 
so suavely by centuries of stroking 
hands. In its carvings the gold leaf 
shows faintly, but the jade shines 
with an almost unearthly luster. 
Vases from the Orient 
Ah Foo also sent across the sea 
the gift of a rare pair of Chinese 
vases on teakwood stands, all green¬ 
ish yellow and gold, standing nearly 
three feet high. About theni is a 
tale of Chinese thoroughness and 
kingly giving that has no counterpart. 
The vases stood for many years 
in the best parlor of Her-whose- 
name -1 - am - not - permitted - to - men¬ 
tion, and it must have been that their 
rare preciousness was not enhanced 
by the purely American setting. At 
any rate, their great value seems 
hardly to have been instantly recog¬ 
nized, as a workman, one day, in re¬ 
pairing a picture-molding set a plank 
across from vase to vase and stood 
thereupon! As may be imagined, 
the delicate neck of one crumpled 
under the strain. 
In a letter to Ah Foo the accident 
was explained, how naively we can 
only guess. Many months passed, 
and then one day three Chinese pre¬ 
sented themselves at the door of the 
house: a trusted clerk and two cool¬ 
ies who, with Oriental bows and 
much ceremony, offered credentials 
and begged for written permission to 
take the damaged vase back to China 
In jewel cabinets of mar- 
queterie the ladies of Louis 
XV I’s time kept their 
costly trinkets. Marie-An- 
toinelte’s “coffre de mar- 
iage” was made in the last 
years of the reign of Louis 
XV, while the jewel cab¬ 
inet at the left is of slightly 
later origin 
