Arguably the most desirable and collectable pottery sculpture from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 – 906) is the female courtier, or "fat lady". This figure is a large and particularly elegant example.

The lady stands upright with her hands clasped together under her voluminous robe. Note also the elaborate hairstyle but most striking are the fine details to her face: simply exquisite! It is made from a buff-col...

This oversized vessel, in the form of a "cocoon jar", was made during the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BC) or possibly a little earlier during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC), but even then by the Qin state. It is made from a fairly high-fired fine-grained grey pottery. The whole of the outer surface of the body is decorated with repeated cord or woven impressions with vertical bands then being made aro...

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 very rare pottery model of a bird, either a duck or a goose, was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is "heavily-potted" and made from quite a high-fired grey pottery. The duck stands with its neck and wings stretched, as if in the act of preparing to fly. Note the detail, especially to the wings, with the tiger heads. The style and decoration suggest this model was based on a bronze example. On the...