This fine porcelain bowl was made during the 12th century at one of the kilns in Fujian province (most likely the Tongan kilns). The inner surface is attractively decorated with a scrolling floral pattern. It is coated in an olive-green glaze that is finely-crackled in places and that falls short of the base revealing the pale grey body.
It is a good size with a diameter of 18 cm and a height of 7.5 cm. It is in fi...
This attractive porcelain dish, or shallow bowl, was made during the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1127 - 1279). It is coated in a finely-crackled pale greenish translucent qingbai glaze, save for the rim and flat base that remain intentionally unglazed. To the small flat base is a Chinese character in fired-on black pigment that most likely represents a name.
The upper surface is decor...
This very rare and fascinating pottery jar was made around the 13th - 14th century during the Song Dynasty (AD 960 - 1279) or possibly the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279 - 1368) and has been excavated from a Buddhist site in Yunnan province, at the time a particularly isolated part of China. It is made from a relatively highly-fired grey pottery the surface colour varying in places from pale to dark grey although much of t...
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...
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...
This blue and white porcelain bowl with flared rim was made during the late 15th - early 16th century (Hongzhi reign 1488 – 1505). The outer wall is decorated in underglaze blue with a honeycomb pattern. The central decoration is loosely based on a vajra (Buddhist sceptre) with various other decorations around the inner wall. It is coated in a finely-crackled glaze.
Diameter 14.5 cm. Condition is very good: there is a hairlin...
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...
This fine pottery head was made during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8). It has been "cold painted" in a base coat of white pigment on top of which have been painted pink, red and black pigments to pick out the facial details.
Height 10.5 cm. It is in very good condition with expected surface wear but no repair or restoration.
Note: the black plastic base on which it stands in the first photo is a photographic p...
This vase has a graceful, slightly tapering long neck rising from a bulbous body – a classic Song Dynasty form, but this one was produced in the Qing Dynasty in the Song style. The dark “iron wire” crackle pattern covers the entire exterior, including the base, and extends in the the mouth. The interior is also glazed. The glaze is of a thick pale grayish-green celadon type, thinning slightly to a paler gray tone on the mouthrim and stopping just above the footring where th...
This sturdy ridge tile in the form of a seated lion-dog dates to the latter part of the Ming Dynasty (c. 1600 - 1644). It is coated in a thick and finely-crackled attractive turquoise glaze. The curved underneath of the tile remains unglazed and has the impressions of a finely-woven cloth on which it must have been placed during manufacture.
Height 22 cm. There is a chip to one ear and kiln scars on both sides of the animal's mout...
This domestic bronze cooking vessel was made during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8) or possibly earlier. It has two handles on opposing sides of the shoulder. It is quite "heavily-cast" and the casting lines are quite pronounced, especially across the flat base. There is some corrosion, mostly to the base where it comprises mostly malachite (green) and azurite (blue). There are also black carbon deposits on the surface in places,...