Watch List notes:

NGUYEN DYNASTY (ANNAM): bone amulet (22.23g), Sylvester-, 37 x 89 x 5mm, in the shape of a bài badge, celestial lady-in-waiting in flowing robe standing left on clouds & looking back, holding a bowl of fruit // full text of the poem, hoi huong ngau thu ("On Returning Home", hui xiang ou shu in Chinese) by the famous Tang Dynasty poet He Zhizhang, pleasing calligraphy, choice AU, ex John Sylvester Jr. Collection. Well-regarded for his poetry and calligraphy, He Zhizhang (659-744) wrote this wistful and nostalgic poem at the age of 85 after returning home from 50 years of service at the imperial court, a few months before his death. It reads, "Leaving home in my youth, I now return as an old man / My accent has not changed, but the hair on my temples has grayed / Little children greet me without recognizing me / Asking smilingly where I come from". It is one of the most recited Tang poems and well-known across East Asia.

Estimate: 350-450 USD