Catalog (39)

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...

Fine Chinese Western Han Dynasty Pottery Ding Tripod with Oxford TL Test

This fine-quality pottery vessel, complete with its original cover, was made during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8). It is made from a fine-grained grey pottery and quite highly-fired, both vessel and cover each having a distinct ring when tapped. This vessel, a ding, has sturdy square-cut handles and stands on three feet. The cover has a raised circular band on its top allowing it to be turned upside-down and u...

Fine Chinese Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Female Courtier ("Fat Lady") with Oxford TL Test - AD 618 - 906

Arguably the most desirable pottery sculpture from the Tang Dynasty is the female courtier, or "fat lady". This figure was made around the mid 8th century and is a particularly elegant example. The lady stands with her hands clasped together under her flowing robe and her head turned a little to the left. Note also the elaborate hairstyle. It is relatively highly-fired and made from a bu...

Very Rare Large Chinese Neolithic Xindian Culture Jar with Zoomorphic Patterns with Oxford TL Test

This large and extremely rare pottery jar was made by peoples of the Neolithic Xindian culture (c. 1200 - 500 BC). The Xindian culture is a relatively late Neolithic culture and overlaps with the Chinese Bronze Age. This jar is of the Tangwang type and is not quite as coarse in its construction as some other Xindian vessels. It is quite "heavily-potted" with two loop handles on opposing sides ...

Very Rare Chinese Northern Dynasties Painted Pottery Horse with Oxford TL Test

This extremely rare pottery model of a saddled horse was made during the Northern Dynasties period (AD 386 - 581). It is rather naively modelled from a dense grey pottery that is fairly high-fired. The body has been cold-painted in reddish-brown, black and white pigments whilst the upper surface of the base is painted white.

Height 28 cm, length 26 cm. It is in very good condition and any possible repairs hav...

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 Qin / Western Han Dynasty Burnished Pottery Cocoon Jar with Oxford TL Test

This wonderfully-shaped pottery jar was made during the early part of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8) or possibly as early as the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BC). This type of jar is often referred to as a "cocoon jar" due to the shape of its body. The shape, named after its similarity to the silkworm cocoon, evolved during the late Warring States period (475 - 221 BC) and then generally died out...

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

This very rare large and impressive pottery jar was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is made from a hard high-fired pottery. The body widens as it goes up from the base to a horizontal shoulder and then into quite a wide but short neck with a flared mouth. The body is covered with repeated impressed geometric patterns, a smaller design to the upper body and a larger design to th...

Fine Chinese Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Camel with Oxford TL Test

This fine pottery model of a camel, laden with saddle bags, was made during the early Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906) or possibly a little earlier. It is made from a buff-coloured pottery that has been "cold painted" in a white pigment. The camel stands upright and alert with its mouth open and its head turned to its left. On its back is a set of saddle bags that include a blanket, ducks and what appears to be a rabbit.

Thi...

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...

Rare Chinese Neolithic Pottery Tripod with Oxford TL Test

This fine and interesting pottery vessel was made over 3,000 years ago during the Chinese Neolithic or early Bronze Age. The form is of a cooking vessel and the three wide udder-shaped legs allow it to be stood in a fire with as much heat as possible being transmitted to its contents. It is not always easy to determine exactly which culture such vessels come from as similar vessels were made by various Chinese cultures. However, we un...

Tall Chinese Western Han Dynasty Painted Pottery Soldier with Oxford TL Test (206 BC - AD 8)

This impressive pottery model of a warrior was made over 2,000 years ago during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8); as can be seen by the quiver on its back, this figure is that of an archer. It is made from a relatively high-fired dark grey pottery that has been "cold painted" in a base coat of white pigment with the features and details picked out in red and black pigments. Originally this fi...

Fine Pair of Chinese Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Figures with Oxford TL Test

These fine pair of pottery figures, one male, one female, was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). They are made from quite a high-fired creamy-coloured pottery. They are very finely modelled: note the detail of the clothing, hairstyle and facial features. The figures stand side by side, upright, in respectful poses each with their hands held together across their stomachs. Traces of the original various di...

A Fine Pair of Tall Chinese Tang Dynasty Male & Female Painted Pottery Figures with Oxford TL Tests

This fine and impressive matching pair of male and female figures was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). They are made from a buff-coloured pottery that has been "cold painted" in coloured pigments. They are similarly dressed in long-sleeved robes. Note also the upturned footwear and the distinctive headdresses and hairstyles. 

As with many of our finer items, we have had both o...

Fine LARGE Chinese Neolithic Banpo Cord-Impressed Pottery Amphora with Oxford TL Test

This fine and incredibly ancient pottery vessel was made over 6,000 years ago during the Banpo phase (c. 4800 - 4300 BC) of the Yangshao culture in present-day Shaanxi province. This form is probably the most well-known of Banpo pottery, if not of all Chinese Neolithic pottery, and no serious collection of Chinese ceramics should be without an example!

It has a tall cup-shaped mouth and a pointed base....

Very Rare Large Chinese Five Dynasties / Song Dynasty Pottery Jar with Oxford TL Test

This large and impressive pottery jar of exceptional form was made during the Five Dynasties period (AD 907 - 960) or possible the early part of the Song Dynasty (AD 960 - 1279). It is a wide-bodied jar with sturdy handles and quite a small flat base, an unusual form for this period. Its form is reminiscent of some Han Dynasty pottery jars of around a thousand years earlier, although this jar is much more "...

Large Chinese Han Dynasty Pottery Ox with Oxford TL Test (206 BC - AD 220)

This large pottery model of an ox, or bull, was made during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220). It is made from a relatively high-fired grey pottery which has made it much more durable than lower-fired examples.

Length 36 cm (14 inches), height 21 cm (8.25 inches). It is in outstanding condition; although one horn appears to have been broken and re-stuck, there is no obvious sign of any other restoration or repa...