Small Red Vase W/ Chinese on bottom?

Question

Can someone help me decipher these characters? These are on a small red vase with a small "wick" attached to the top.

Answer 1

• Left: 乾
• Right: 隆
• Top: 年
• Bottom: 制

You read the characters as if you are standing at the center. The order is a bit funny because it's what people in antiquity do. It is read as 乾隆年制 -- "Made in the year of Qian Long". Qian Long(乾隆) is an emperor of 清(Qing) dynasty.

It is a form of 篆書. You see a lot of such imprints in antiquities. Take a look at this:

it says:

年|乾|大

制|隆|清