Images

Porcelain bowl decorated with dragons chasing pearls. From the noted porcelain centre of Jingdezhen, Ming dynasty, 1573-1620. Height: 9.4 cm. Diameter: 14.9 cm. The British Museum, London.

A shallow blue glaze porcelain bowl of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE). The white relief decoration shows songbirds on flowering prunus branches. From the noted porcelain centre Jingdezhen, China. Diameter: 17.8 cm. 1573-1620 CE. (British...

The underside of a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) blue-and-white porcelain plate showing an inscription, typical of the wares of that dynasty. The Chinese inscription reads 'Made in the Ming dynasty, Xuande reign'. 1540-1600 CE (British Museum...

A selection of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) blue-and-white porcelain. From Chenghua reign, 1465-1487 CE. (British Museum, London)

Jade Zodiac, Imperial Palace, Beijing, China

Chang Hsien shooting a bow at a heavenly dog, Late Qing dynasty, 19th century.

Bronze Lion-Dog (aka Foo-Dog) at the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. They are always placed in pairs; the male has a paw on an ornate ball, representing power and domination over the human affairs of the world while the female has her paw...

A selection of books on Oman authored by Tony Walsh. (Used with permission)

The ruins of the port of Samharam, Dhofar Oman. 2nd century CE. (Used with permission)

The author Tony Walsh who has written many books on the history of Oman. (Used with permission)