Catalog (491)

Magnificent pottery Ding. The long legs and “cockscomb” design where, the legs join the body, are in keeping with bronze vessels from the Zhou to Warring States period, which pottery pieces were trying to emulate. There are traces of a repetitive meandering impressed band below mid circumference. The body is thinly potted with very light gray clay and originally had a dark gray slip applied to the outside (the original gray slip is still intact in the cavity). All the legs and one ha...

Green lead glazed oil lamp or candle stand from the Han Dynasty. In excellent condition with no damage, there are still traces of the classic silver patina as may be seen in enlargements. H: 13.5cm/5.3in and D: 10.5cm/4.2in.

Lovely pottery small lead glazed stove from the Eastern Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE). There is original flaw in one of the pots on top and a minor glaze chip on the upper edge but otherwise excellent condition with a lot of lead glazed silver paraffin patina on the whitish surface. See last enlargement for reference from He Li’s Chinese Ceramics. L: 25.cm/9.8in, W: 18.5m/7.2in and H: 9.5cm/3.8 in. Excellent example of how people cooked 2000 years ago in China.

Very rare pair of pottery bears. The meaning of bears of during Han Dynasty is somewhat enigmatic, as they are “everywhere” in their material culture i.e., bronze, jade and pottery, but what they signify remains unexplained. Usually they are depicted in a friendly almost cute Winnie the Pooh (ish) fashion, lacking in ferocity like dragons and tigers. Only during the Han did they reach such ubiquity. Both have an amber colored vitreous glaze and appeared to be mostly hand carved. Ther...

Rare image of a Qilin Chinese "unicorn" with stunning deep aquamarine Qingbai glaze. This is a fragment of a much larger piece, possibly a finial off a censer. H: 9.5cm/3.9in, W: 7cm/2.8in x 4.5cm/1.8in. The sculpture is in excellent condition, there is a film of hardpacked soil in the crevices which can be (see enlargements), this can be removed with a small blade with a bit of effort, soaking it in water for a week or so will help. I am leaving it on as it speaks to the age of this piece....

Eclectic collection of 11 ground slate stone “arrowheads” circa 3000 BCE-1900 BCE. The artifacts correspond to the Longshan Culture or a concurrent culture. See enlargements for scale and condition.

Good dark soy brown glazed ovoid jar Tang Dynasty from a northern kiln, nice size- H: 12.5cm/5in and D: 16.5cm6.5in. Some kiln flaws i.e., bubble pops and minor chip on side- please examine enlargements.

Simple Han inkstone, polished smooth one side and rough underneath. Signs of exavation and typical distinct petrichor smell. L: 20cm/7.9in x 6.3cm/2.5in. Note last image is from Chinese Inkstones- Simon Kwan, for reference.

Very rare Tang Dynasty (618CE to 907CE) terra cotta wall tile depicting the face of a Zhemushou, a fierce guardian earth spirit meant to ward off evil. It is a trapezoidal shape with much of original red and black pigments intact. Some loss to the lower lip (please see enlargements). Lower W: 19cm/7.8in, upper W: 16cm/6.1in and H: 20cm/9in.

Neolithic/Bronze Age reddish clay, pottery jar from an unknown culture. I acquired this in a group of Chinese Neolithic pottery pieces but I can’t find any references to this being Chinese. I tend to think this from Thailand or some other Southeast Asian culture. Low fired with very good near invisible restoration. If you know what this is, drop me a line and let me know. D: 12cm/4.7in and H: 8.5cm/3.6in.

Very good, Pagan 12th century, impressed image of the Buddha inset a niche, flanked by stupas and two lines of Nagari script beneath. Overall the details are crisp and the interplay between light and shadow on this piece are quite dramatic. The best examples of this type reside in the Ashmolean and British Museums. This piece has some chipping on one outer side (please see enlargements), bear in mind most of the ones available these days are either fragments or heavily damaged, this one ...