From the seventeenth century, scholars, artists, and craftspeople in East Asia created objects that transformed how the past was understood and experienced. By blending materials and mixing techniques, these works embodied the belief that making was itself a form of learning. This volume brings together twenty-one vivid case studies that capture this creative energy, guiding readers through the experimental and often contested world of early modern antiquarian practice. Accessible, thought-provoking, and engaging, the essays reveal how studying the past actively shaped knowledge, values, and social hierarchies in a world continually refashioned through making, learning, and imagination.