Catalog (315)

Fine Large Tang Dynasty White Pottery Female Courtier with Oxford TL Test

One of the most desirable and collectable form of pottery sculpture from ancient China is, of course, the female courtier, or "fat lady", from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). This exceptional example, with a height of 43 cm, is considerably larger than most known Tang dynasty "fat ladies". She wears a voluminous robe with long sleeves, her right hand raised and held across her stomach, her feet protruding from the hem...

Fine Large Early Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Horse & Separate Saddle (with Oxford TL Test)

This fine and impressive pottery model of a horse was made during the early Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). It is "heavily-potted" and made from a buff-coloured pottery that has been cold-painted in a creamy-white pigment with small amounts of red pigment in places, such as within the nostrils. On its back is a large saddle, made separately, that can be removed. This is a strong horse giving an impressio...

Fine LARGE Chinese Western Han Dynasty Painted Pottery Hu Jar & Cover (with Oxford TL Test)

This large and imposing pottery jar, of "hu" form, was made during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8). It is made from grey pottery and has a particularly wide body, the neck flaring out into a wide mouth. Unusually, it comes complete with its original cover.

The surface has been thickly cold-painted with a creamy-white pigment on top of which are swirls and geometric patterns in yellow-ochr...

Exceptionally LARGE Chinese Neolithic / Bronze Age Impressed Pottery Jar with Oxford TL Test

This extremely rare and imposing pottery jar dates to the around the 1st millennium BC, the late Chinese Neolithic / Bronze Age period. It is, without doubt, the largest and most substantial pottery jar we have ever encountered from this period. It has a rounded base and the whole of the outer surface has been decorated with repeated coarsely-woven cord impressions. Interestingly the inner surface be...

Very Fine and Rare Large Chinese Qin Dynasty or Warring States Pottery Model of a Stove featuring Fish & Seafood

This extremely rare and impressive pottery model of a cooking stove was made during either the Qin Dynasty (221 – 206 BC) or possibly earlier, during the latter part of the preceding Warring States period (475 – 221 BC). It is made from quite a high-fired grey pottery that has a distinct ring to it when tapped. Its main upper surface is wonderfully decorated with finely-detail...

Fine Pair of Tall Chinese Han Dynasty Burnished Pottery Vases

This fine, impressive and very rare pair of pottery vases was made during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8) or possibly a little earlier. They are of a particularly pleasing and elegant form, the wide bodies rising up from the flat bases, then constricting into long slender necks and finally opening up into fairly wide mouths. They are quite "heavily-potted" and made from a dense fine-grained dark grey pottery, the surface o...

Large Chinese Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Horse & Rider with Oxford TL Test

This impressive pottery horse and rider was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). It is made from a buff-coloured pottery and is quite "heavily-potted". It has been cold-painted in various coloured pigments, good traces of which still remain. The horse stands upright and alert with its head and neck turned very slightly to its left. The rider, with his body turned to the left, has his arms raised as though ho...

LARGE Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty Pottery Farm House with Oxford TL Test

This large and impressive pottery model of what we assume to be a farm house was made during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 220). It is made from a pinkish-coloured pottery, the surface of which has fired to a pale grey colour. It has a large gabled roof with deep grooves and horizontal incised lines to represent tiles. The ridge along the top has been incised to show three rows of ridge tiles. On the upper surface of...

Chinese Eastern Wei - Northern Qi Dynasty Painted Pottery Horse & Armoured Rider

This fine and rare pottery model of a horse & rider was made in the 6th Century during either the Eastern Wei Dynasty (AD 534 - 550) or the following Northern Qi Dynasty (AD 550 - 577). Pottery horses from this period have a distinct style different to the more common and later Tang Dynasty equivalents.

It has been made from a fine-grained grey pottery that has been "cold painted" in a creamy-white pigment ...

Very Rare Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty Stone Toad Money Tree Base (AD 25 - 220)

This extremely rare toad-shaped pedestal, or base, for the legendary coin-shedding tree dates to the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 220) and has been excavated from Sichuan province. The coin-shedding, or money, tree is known from late Han Dynasty funerary art from the south-west of China. It was believed that if shaken, coins would fall from it. The money tree itself would comprise a bronze trunk, or pole, to which...

Fine LARGE Chinese Western Han Dynasty Glazed Stoneware Jar (206 BC - AD 8)

This large stoneware jar, of the type often referred to as "proto-porcelain", dates to the latter part of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8). The upper body, and inner mouth, are coated with an attractive olive-green glaze that is very finely-crackled. The unglazed neck and lower body have fired to varying shades of reddish-brown. To the upper and lower neck are bands of impressed wavy lines. On opposing sides a...

LARGE Chinese Warring States Pottery Jar with Oxford TL Test (475 - 221 BC)

This exceptionally large and impressive pottery jar was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is made from a fine-grained grey pottery, relatively highly-fired, having a distinct ring to it when tapped. It has a wide mouth with a thick rolled rim. It is decorated simply, yet effectively, with raised bands surrounding the body just above its waist. Just above the concave base is a small purpose-ma...

Large Chinese Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Camel with Oxford TL Test

This impressive pottery model of a Bactrian camel was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). It is made from a pale buff-coloured pottery, has good detail and has been "cold painted" in a base coat of a creamy-white pigment with details picked out in brown, red and black pigments. The camel stands upright and alert with its head held high and turned a little to its left. Its two humps are particularly prominent.

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Fine Large Chinese Han Dynasty Glazed Pottery Hu Jar (with Oxford TL Test)

This fine and impressive pottery jar (hu) was made during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220). It is made from a fairly high-fired reddish pottery and coated in a particularly attractive glossy thick streaky green and finely-crackled glaze, the colour of which varies according to its thickness. Interestingly, the drips of glaze to the mouth rim and the pooling of glaze to the flat base show that this jar was fired upsid...

Fine Tall Chinese Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Horse & Rider with Oxford TL Test

This fine and elegant pottery model of a horse and rider was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). It is made from a buff-coloured pottery that has been "cold painted" in various coloured pigments. The horse stands alert with its head turned a little to its left. The riders sits upright with his arms outstretched.

This is quite large example with a height of 38.5 cm (15 inches). It is in very good con...

Fine Large Chinese Jin Dynasty Carved Stone Tile - Bird (AD 1115 - 1234)

This extremely rare large stone tile dates to the Jin Dynasty (AD 1115 - 1234). The carving is of fine quality and features a bird standing with outstretched wings in a circle, itself within a square panel. It was undoubtedly once part of a series of similar stone panels (indeed we have another from the series, see also our item stock number MA282).

Height 53 cm (20.75 inches), width 48 cm (19 inches), weight 18.05 ...

LARGE Chinese Han Dynasty Burnished Pottery Hu Jar with Oxford TL Test (206 BC - AD 220)

This unusually large and imposing pottery jar, or "hu" was made during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220). It is made from a fine-grained grey pottery that is relatively highly-fired. This is an exceptional example of its type of fine form with its wide body and tall neck that flares inwards and then out again to the wide mouth. It has a pleasingly smooth burnished surface that in many places has a silver...

Large Chinese Warring States Impressed Pottery Jar with Oxford TL Test (475 - 221 BC)

This large and attractive pottery jar was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is made from quite a high-fired pale grey pottery the colour of which has fired to a pale pinkish-brown in places. It has an unusual wide mouth with a flat rim. The whole outer surface has been decorated with repeated impressed geometric patterns comprising, at the top of each impression, two horizontal lines ...