Deep-carved oblong gaming counter showing three men in a tropical garden landscape wearing interesting hats. The hats remind us of headgear worn by priests or monks in China. The bearded fellow on the left has Western features and seems to be reading from a book. Is it the bible? Christian missionaries have been active in China for hundreds of years. The intricate armorial belongs to Workman-MacNaghten family and shows the ‘I hope in God’ motto of the MacNaghtens as well as the French motto ‘Non pas l’ouvrage mais l’ouvrier’ of the Workman family which translates into ‘Not the finished work, but the workman’ which is a pun to their name. The motto is flanked by two bugs. The border on the front is decorated with plum flowers and bats. Plum flowers have five petals which represent ‘Longevity, Wealth, Health, Love of Virtue and a Peaceful death’. The bat (Fu) stands for ‘Blessings’. The border on the back shows berries of the evergreen plant ‘Rohdea Japonica’ (Wannianqing) which is a pun for ‘ten thousand years’. It is interesting that typical Chinese puns were used for the decoration. The counter dates from the Daoguang period (道光 1820 – 1850). Length 6.9 cm. Width 2.8 cm. Thickness 0.25 cm.