We have recently been lucky enough to have acquired a collection of very rare examples of burnished black pottery items made during the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279 - 1368). Such items are relatively unknown and very little has been published about them...

We have recently been lucky enough to have acquired a collection of very rare examples of burnished black pottery items made during the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279 - 1368). Such items are relatively unknown and very little has been published about them. They are found in the northern provinces, particularly Gansu province in the north-west.

This vase, or bottle is of meiping form...

This attractively-shaped pottery jar was made during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 220) and comes from Shaanxi province in the northwest of China. It is made from a red pottery, quite heavily potted, has a wide body, narrow neck and trumpet-shaped mouth. Simple decorative incised lines surround the neck and shoulder...

This very fine pottery model of a foreign groom was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). It is made from a highly-fired white pottery that has been coated in different coloured glazes, as well as the facial features being finished in cold-painted coloured pigments. The figure has a beard and moustache and wears a flowing cloak with distinctive head gear...

This exceptionally large and rare bronze xian (steamer) was made during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220) and actually comprises three separate vessels that combine to form the xian. The middle section sits within the lower section, and on top sits the upper section, the part that has the grill in its base to allow steam to enter the vessel. Each section is decorated with raised bands and a pair of taotie ring handles...

This pottery model of a stove was made during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 220). It is made from a reddish pottery and coated in a thick and attractive amber glaze. It has been made from moulded sections that have been luted together. There are three integral cooking pots with moulded decoration including fish, geometric patterns and a kneeling female figure with a pot...

This fine-quality pottery model of a horse was made during the early part of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). It is made from a relatively highly-fired pale-coloured pottery, varying from a pale grey to a pinkish-brown in colour (this colour variation is often seen with earthenware that is more highly-fired than other pieces). It has been "cold-painted" in various coloured pigments...

This attractive pottery model of a horse & rider was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). It is made from a relatively highly-fired pottery that has been "cold painted" in various different coloured pigments. The horse stands alert with its head turned a little to its left. The riders sits erect with his hands held out as though holding the reins...

This rare and attractive pottery model of a horse & rider was made during the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386 - 534). It is made from a buff-coloured pottery that has been "cold painted" in a base coat of a creamy-white pigment on top of which are yellow and black pigments. The horse stands upright with its head turned to its left. Note the detail of the rider's clothing...

This porcelain jar of globular form was made during the 19th century toward the latter part of the Choson (Joseon) Dynasty. The underglaze blue decoration comprises floral patterns and two bands surrounding the neck. It is quite "heavily-potted" and there are couple of firing bubbles, no doubt due to the thickness of the clay. There is kiln grit embedded within the glaze to the base.

Diameter 13 cm, height 11 cm...

This large and attractively-shaped pottery jar was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC) or possibly during the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BC). It is "heavily-potted" and made from a relatively high-fired dense grey pottery. It is decorated with two wide bands of repeated impressions that surround the upper and lower shoulder...

This large and attractive pottery jar was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC)...

This rare bowl was made during the 16th century. Apart from the unglazed stacking ring and base it is coated in an apple-green glaze, the depth of colour of which varies according to its thickness. There are small areas around the inner wall where the glaze has not covered but this appears to be unintentional.

Diameter 16 cm. Although not immediately obvious, a section of the wall has been broken out and re-stuck.

*** TO ORDER THIS ITEM PLEA...

This rare bowl was made during the 14th - 15th century and is coated in a finely-crackled yellowish-brown glaze, the depth of colour varying according to its thickness. Around the centre is a wide unglazed stacking ring, and around the inner wall are various moulded leaf and floral patterns. Apart from unintentional glaze splashes, the foot remains unglazed.

Diameter 17 cm. There is minor glaze loss where the glaze is at its thinnest, but...

This bronze axe head dates approximately to the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). Inside are remains of its wooden shaft. Length 16 cm (6.25 inches). Unfortunately it has been broken in two and re-stuck.

For information: this axe head is part of a modest yet very interesting private English collection of Chinese antiquities acquired during the 1990s that we recently acquired.

*** TO ORDER THIS ITEM PLEASE EMAIL US QUOTING OUR STOCK NUMBER (...

This "heavily-potted" stoneware jar, complete with its original cover, was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). Like most Tang jars, its form is particularly pleasing. The finely-crackled transparent pale olive-green glaze is quite "streaky" and coats around the upper three-quarters of the outer surface, as well as the cover. The lower body remains unglazed showing the white stoneware body. Although the inside of the mouth is also co...

This wonderfully-shaped jar was made during the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279 - 1368), at one of the kilns in northern China where Cizhou wares were produced during the 11th - 14th centuries. It is heavily-potted with the outer surface coated in a white slip and decorated in underglaze iron-brown. The decoration comprises various bands that surround the body and a variety of floral patterns. Around the shoulder on top of the darker pattern are slightly...

This heavily-potted bowl was made during the latter part of the Joseon (Choson) Dynasty (1392 - 1910), probably the 18th or 19th century. It is delightfully "coarse" in its potting and coated in a cream/honey coloured glaze, the thickness of which varies. Around the centre inner surface is a ring of twelve kiln spacer scars from where another vessel was fired inside this bowl, also minor signs of wear from use. The unglazed foot shows signs of ha...