2. Unicorn, giver of sons No.z 麒麟送子） Artist: none Place: Suzhou (Taohuawu district) Date: none Appearance: five colours (blue, green, pink, purple and black) Paper size: 52.7 x 30 cm As a creature of good omen, the unicorn {qilin) symbolises longevity, grandeur, felicity, illustrious offspring and wise administration. The legend has it that the last time a unicorn appeared was before the death of Confucius. It is usually described as resembling a deer but larger, with an ox's tail and hoofs of a horse, and it is endowed with perfect goodwill, gentleness and benevolence to all living creatures. Its body is clad in fish scales, the hair on its back is multicoloured, and its belly is brown. The male animal is said to have a single horn protruding out of the forehead, the tip of which is fleshy, making it unfit for war. Some Chinese writers claim that the mother of Confucius became pregnant of him when she walked in the footsteps of a unicorn while going to the hills to worship. Consequently the symbol of this picture alludes to the fact that when a son has been sent by the unicorn, he will do well in his studies and achieve fame and distinction. The person sitting on the unicorn holds a sceptre in one hand and the son in the other. The son holds a branch in one hand and a reed organ in the other. Both sceptre and reed organ are symbols of good omen. 3. Inscriptions in Tibetan with the four quadrants and eight trigrams (Si ling ba gua zangwenjingwen E9 靈八圭卜藏文經文） Artist: none Place: none Date: none Appearance: monochrome Woodblock: 44.8 x 28.5 cm The upper part of this print shows the four quadrants or celestial emblems, namely the dragon (east), phoenix (south), tiger (west), and tortoise (north). These four cardinal points are surrounded by the eight trigrams, which correspond with the eight divisions of the compass, adding to the above four points the directions of north-east, south- east, north-west, and south-west. This image is usually carved into plaques of copper, silver or jade, and supposed to function as a kind of talisman to preserve the owner from misfortune, and assuring his future prosperity. When nailed on a house door or hung on a wall it becomes an emblem of felicity. The lower part of the print contains the inscriptions in Tibetan.