A Canton enamel tiered box, 18th century , of circular shape, decorated in famille rose enamels with rectangular panels of blooming peonies and chrysanthemums, the cover with a peacock amid pitted rocks, peonies and prunus branches, all against scrolling lotus designs, 11.5cm high 清乾隆 铜胎画çç…彩四层盖盒 Encapsulating a multitude of auspicious wishes, this box was probably deemed as a birthday gift. Peonies, mudan 牡丹, were also known in China as fugui , presumably following the popularity enjoyed among the imperial families of the Tang dynasty. By their characters and pronunciation, peonies convey the blessings for happiness (fu), and richness (gui) and frequently occur in conjunction with peacocks and rocks, thus forming a visual rebus underscoring the blessing for wealth, prosperity and longevity. As a long-tailed bird shoudainiao, the peacock was the emblem of longevity, for its character shou 绶 is the homophone for longevity, shou 寿, and the character, dai 带, is a homophone for generation, dai 代. 288 Rocks are, for their intrinsic qualities, obvious symbols of endurance and longevity. For reference on Chinese auspicious symbols see Hartman, Literary and Visual Interactions in Lo Chih-ch'uan's Crows in Old Trees, in Metropolitan Museum Journal, 1993, n. 28, p. 129-67; Johnston, Auspicious motifs in ninth-to thirteenth-century Chinese tombs, in Ars Orientalis, 1993, vol. 33, issue 2, p. 33-75.