This small and attractive pottery model of a camel was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). It is made from a reddish-brown pottery that has been cold-painted in a base coat of white with yellow-ochre and reddish-brown pigments on top. The camel stands upright with its head slightly raised.
Height 20 cm...
This attractive pottery jar was made over 4,000 years ago during the Machang Phase (c. 2300 - 2000 BC) of the Majiayao culture, also known as the Gansu-Yangshao culture, from present day Gansu or Qinghai province. It is made from a fairly highly-fired pale buff-coloured pottery, the surface colour varying a little in places due to uneven firing conditions...
This large and impressive stoneware dish was made during the 14th - 15th centuries. It is "heavily-potted" with a wide sturdy foot. It is decorated with various floral and leaf patterns in underglaze cobalt blue. In the centre is a stylised character. It is coated in quite a thick finely-crackled clear glaze that has a greenish tint to it. Around the central design is a wide unglazed band in which are six firing marks...
This large stoneware dish was made during the 13th - 15th century. Wares of this type were undoubtedly influenced by the large Chinese celadon glazed dishes made at the Longquan kilns during the same period. It is heavily-potted and coated in a pale green glaze that is silky-matt in feel and appearance...
This is one of a group of moulded pottery tablets that we bought about twenty years ago. They are made from a relatively high-fired pottery and have a surprising amount of detail, including the sun and the moon in this example...
This rare and unusual "Swatow" (or "Zhangzhou") blue & white porcelain bowl was made during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573 - 1620). The underglaze blue decoration around the outer wall features two dragons. The inner design features four fish around the inner wall and aquatic (?) plants in its centre. It is coated in a thick glaze...
This highly decorative and attractive "Kraak" porcelain dish was made at the Jingdezhen kilns during the Wanli reign (1573 - 1620) of the Ming Dynasty. The pattern, in underglaze blue of good colour, features in its centre a winged insect amongst various plants and blossoms. Surrounding this are eight roundels containing, alternately, peach blossoms and precious objects...
This large pottery jar was made over 4,000 years ago during the Machang Phase (c. 2300 - 2000 BC) of the Majiayao culture, also known as the Gansu-Yangshao culture, from present day Gansu or Qinghai province. The decorative pattern, applied on top of the smooth burnished surface with a fired-on mineral-based pigment, features four roundels containing geometric patterns...
This large pottery jar was made over 4,000 years ago during the Machang Phase (c. 2300 - 2000 BC) of the Majiayao culture, also known as the Gansu-Yangshao culture, from present day Gansu or Qinghai province. It is quite "heavily-potted" and made from a pale yellowish-brown pottery, the colour of which varies in places due to uneven conditions in the Neolithic kiln...
This is one of a group of moulded pottery tablets that we bought about twenty years ago. They are made from a relatively high-fired pottery and have a surprising amount of detail. They were made as amulets and votive offerings and were reported to have been excavated from the foundations of an ancient Buddhist temple, where originally many would have been placed to ensure the success of the temple...
This is one of a group of moulded pottery tablets that we bought about twenty years ago. They are made from a relatively high-fired pottery and have a surprising amount of detail...
This is one of a group of moulded pottery tablets that we bought about twenty years ago. They are made from a relatively high-fired pottery and have a surprising amount of detail. They were made as amulets and votive offerings and were reported to have been excavated from the foundations of an ancient Buddhist temple, where originally many would have been placed to ensure the success of the temple. We find it quite difficult to date thes...
This is one of a group of moulded pottery tablets that we bought about twenty years ago. They are made from a relatively high-fired pottery and have a surprising amount of detail, including the sun and the moon in this example. They were made as amulets and votive offerings and were reported to have been excavated from the foundations of an ancient Buddhist temple, where originally many would have been placed to ensure the success of the...
This is one of a group of moulded pottery tablets that we bought about twenty years ago. They are made from a relatively high-fired pottery and have a surprising amount of detail. They were made as amulets and votive offerings and were reported to have been excavated from the foundations of an ancient Buddhist temple, where originally many would have been placed to ensure the success of the temple. We find it quite difficult to date thes...
This large and rare porcelain dish, of the type known as "Swatow" ware, was made during the Wanli reign (1573 - 1620) of the Ming Dynasty at the Zhangzhou kilns in Fujian province where many such wares were made for export around South-east Asia. More specifically, this dish was very likely produced at one of the kilns in Pinghe County, possibly at Wuzhai village where very similar incised celadon dishes ar...
This stoneware censer was made during the Song Dynasty (AD 960 - 1279) or possibly the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279 - 1368). It is quite "heavily-potted" with both inner and outer surfaces coated in a crackled transparent olive-green glaze reminiscent of yue ware, apart from the sturdy foot that remains unglazed. To the inside centre there is kiln grit embedded within the glaze. On opposing sides at the shoulder are two small loop handles.
This porcelain jar was made during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). It is very "heavily-potted": jars of this type are known as "bullet" jars due to their shape. They were made at kilns in Guangdong province as well as, possibly, other kiln sites. Many were exported and this type of jar can be found throughout South-east Asia, widely used for containers of salt and other foodstuffs and liquids. This example is coated in a thick pale c...
This dish, or shallow bowl, was made during the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1127 – 1279). It has a moulded decoration featuring, in its centre, two fish swimming amongst waves. The two fish are an emblem of harmony and a happy marriage. The bowl is coated in a pale greenish Qingbai type of glaze. The rim remains unglazed, allowing the bowl to be placed in a firing ring in the kiln as part of a stack of similar bow...