The refined carving of this object is stunning and immediately reminds us of very similar carvings in jade from the 18th century. The material looks like a marine ivory, perhaps walrus. Chinese characters which are engraved on the back identify the name of its owner as madam Li Fang (丽芳) who must have been a very wealthy lady as she was able to afford such an exquisite item. Three more characters ‘Jia Shen Nian’ (甲申年) date the object to 1824 but since the dating in China used to change every sixty years the date of manufacture could also be 1764. The Chinese sexagenary cycle (六十花甲) is a cycle of sixty terms used for recording days or years. To be on the safe side however, we date it to the early 19th century. There is a third character which we have not yet been able to identify. At first we wondered what the purpose of this mysterious object was but the lady’s name and the carving quickly revealed its use. This flat scoop actually served as a shoe horn and was used by women to get into their tiny lotus shoes. Some lotus shoes have a flap at the back which serves the same purpose but many shoes are flapless and it would have been difficult to get one’s, anyhow delicate, feet inside without some help. The finely carved decoration shows two egrets amongst lotus flowers. The word for egret (lu) sounds like the word for path, or way. The Lotus symbolizes Continuous Harmony. Egrets (Path) amongst Lotuses (Continuous Harmony) therefore lead to the hidden meaning ‘May your path always be harmonious’. Length 16.6 cm. Width 3.0 cm. Thickness 0.7 cm.