Five Chinese porcelain jardinieres of different shapes and decoration dating from the 19th century. A large-footed jardiniere has a white ground with blue glaze and is decorated with flowers and ivy pattern. The inside has a wax stamp with Chinese calligraphy. The second footed jardiniere has white ground with blue glaze with geometric designs and floral patterns. There is a wax seal inside with Chinese calligraphy and a sticker with a Chinese description. Unglazed base. A fluted, square-footed planter with a hole in its bottom and a scene of a man with an ox glazed on side. No signature or seal. A circular pot with a hole in its base, colorful flowers on exterior of pot, and Chinese calligraphy between floral patterns. Unsigned. A smaller jardiniere with wood base decorated with dragons and clouds around outside. Its rim has iron-red designs, and its interior has a green glaze. Dimensions are: Jardiniere with base: 5 1/8 inches tall X 6 5/8 inches wide X 4 1/8 inches deep; 13.3 cm tall X 16.8 cm wide X 10.3 cm deep. Square pot: 4 1/8 inches tall X 4 3/4 inches wide; 10.4 cm tall X 9.6 cm wide. Circular pot: 2 7/8 inches tall X 3 5/8 inches diameter; 7.3 cm tall X 9.2 cm diameter. All measurements are approximate. Condition: Circular pot has edge chips and missing material around bottom hole. Square pot has glazing imperfections corner chips and a major edge chip. Both large jardinieres have minor glazing defects. Provenance: From the old collection of Mr. William Wu, San Francisco, USA. William Wu (1939-2007) was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was young. In 1957, he was admitted to the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University. Because of his interest in history, in 1979 he received a doctorate in art history from Princeton University focusing on the Chinese artist Gong Xian. After graduation, he was successively employed as a professor of art history at Dartmouth, Oberlin, and other colleges. He later settled in San Francisco, California, where he presided over the Chinese Cultural Center, held regular cultural exhibitions, and devoted himself to introducing Chinese culture and artists to Western audiences. During the 1980s, he traveled between San Francisco and Shanghai and became an important bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges. Professor William Wu and the famous movie star Jet Li are distant relatives, and he was a great help in the early years of Jet Li's career development. Mr. Wu maintained contact with Jet Li during his life.