Blue & White Chinese Porcelain Opium Pillow Box. Chinese Dragon Foo Dog Blue & White. Opium or Incense Burner Pillow Box with LID. MEASURES 6″ TALL by 5″ WIDE by 3 1/4 THICK. Decorated on all four sides with a quatrefoil cartouche &. Enclosing a foo dog with a rope. Surrounded with blossom decorations & key pattern borders. Detailed flower decor, all four sides show a Chi’ Ling playing with a ball. Open on one end to store wallet & valuables. THE BOTTOM IS SOLID. Often they were used in commercial opium dens and were used across Asia. When you were in a public place, your personal items were stashed inside these porcelain pillows for safekeeping. It also works excellent as a vase for dried or live flowers. Qing dynasty, China, 19th century. IS SIGNED IN 2 PLACES –see last 2 photos. Bought from my brother in the late 1970’s.. He was one of the first to import from China & Hong Kong. And one of the first wholesalers in the USA.
