The centre of this counter shows a gentleman with a fan who seems to greet an official, recognizable by his hat, on the right. On the left side a guard armed with a lance keeps an eye on the surroundings. The background consists of large houses and trees. On the back side of this counter is a roundel with fine back hatching and the ornate initials ‘MAW’. The roundel is flanked by two gentlemen of which one has a parasol across his shoulder. The intricately fretted border is decorated with squirrels and grapes as well as two butterflies. Squirrels and grapes have a hidden meaning to the Chinese. Squirrels get a lot of offspring and grapes grow in large clusters which implies a wish for many generations of sons and grandsons. The two butterflies symbolize a happy marriage. The counter dates from the Daoguang period (道光 1820 – 1850). Length 7.2 cm. Height 2.8 cm. Thickness 0.27 cm.