Qing vase converted into a table lamp. Porcelain. Gilded bronze foot. Electrified. No lampshade. Measurements: 47 x 30 x 30 cm. Chinese vase of the Qing Dynasty converted into a lamp. The globular body, wider at the height of the shoulders, is enameled in cobalt blue on white with medallions of chrysanthemums and other floral bouquets housed in borders. The Ching or Qing Dynasty, also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last of the Chinese imperial dynasties. Founded in the present northeast of the country by the Manchu clan in 1644, its rule ended with the abdication of the last Emperor in 1912 by the Xinhai Revolution and the establishment of the Republic of China, maintaining the capital in Beijing during all this time. In general, traditional art forms flourished in many different and varied levels and formats, thanks to a highly educated upper class, a thriving publishing industry of books, pamphlets, etc., really prosperous cities, and the Confucian emphasis on cultivating the mind. While the Emperors themselves were, on many occasions, outstanding artists (especially in painting), the best work was done by schoolchildren and the urban elite in calligraphy and painting, both areas of great interest to the court. Even cuisine was elevated as a cultural pride in this period, picking up elements from the past and working on them to reach new heights.