Please help with this chinese translation

[snoopy666]

Hello from London UK
I recently bought this Chinese opium pillow at  a market and would like to know what the words say on each end.I presume this is Chinese please correct me if i am wrong.
I believe it to be a lacquer made opium den pillow or travel pillow.
I hope the translation can help me with to possibly date it aswell
all help highly appreciated
regards
Jamie

[mart]

Mat might know what it says but if it were mine I would take it to a local Chinese restaurant and ask them to translate !!

[cogar]

I remember reading, a long time ago (a few years back), about someone in the UK that purchased a Chinesey “looking” piece of porcelain (a vase I think it t’was) at a house sale, “boot” sale or private sale, for less than a pound or so, and shortly afterwards, put his newly purchased vase in a local auction house in hopes of making a couple pound profit on his investment,

Well now, the auction house advertised his vase with “pictures” ….. and the day it came up to be “bid on”, …….. the bidding went “bananas”.

Two or three “experts” who saw the “pictures” recognized the vase as being a rare, rare piece of Chinese Export Porcelain, circa 1600, if I remember correctly.

Maybe Mat will remember that “find”.

[Raven31557]

Mat might know what it says but if it were mine I would take it to a local Chinese restaurant and ask them to translate !!

That's an excellent idea!!!!!!!
They could probably at least tell you if it's Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese or *nonsense* just to mimic Oriental writing.

[mart]

Right !!

[talesofthesevenseas]

It could also be a pillow designed for a lady so that her elaborate hairstyle didn't get messed up.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Let us know what they say at the Chinese restaurant!

[mart]

Is this a wooden pillow ??  If not what is it made of ??

[Mat]

Hi, sorry, I cannot read the inscription, but It should be Chinese. It would be good to see photos of the whole item to say something more about it.
Mat

[mart]

Thanks Mat !!

[pumkin]

we have a Chinese student living with us, I shall ask him?

[mart]

Thank you for doing that !! Most of us here can not read the language !!

[Ipcress]

I remember reading, a long time ago (a few years back), about someone in the UK that purchased a Chinesey “looking” piece of porcelain (a vase I think it t’was) at a house sale, “boot” sale or private sale, for less than a pound or so, and shortly afterwards, put his newly purchased vase in a local auction house in hopes of making a couple pound profit on his investment,

Well now, the auction house advertised his vase with “pictures” ….. and the day it came up to be “bid on”, …….. the bidding went “bananas”.

Two or three “experts” who saw the “pictures” recognized the vase as being a rare, rare piece of Chinese Export Porcelain, circa 1600, if I remember correctly.

Maybe Mat will remember that “find”.

There are two that i can recall.

A Ding bowl which was bought for peanuts and made a fortune.
A Qianlong vase which was seen at a house clearance by an auctioneer in London. It was sent back to the saleroom, put in a catalogue and a few months later the hammer went down at about £50m. After a protracted legal battle, £25m was paid for it.