Catalog (320)

This pottery jar of "hu" form 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 relatively highly-fired reddish pottery and is quite "heavily-potted". There are decorative incised lines surrounding the jar at its shoulder. The surface of the jar and the inner mouth are coated in a unusual coloured glaze, varying in places from a yellowish olive-green t...

This pottery jar of "hu" form 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 relatively highly-fired reddish pottery. There are two thin incised lines surrounding the shoulder. The outer surface and inner mouth are coated in a fairly thin glaze of unusual colour, shades of a yellowish olive-green, the colour and glossiness of which varies in places ...

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. 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 very rare pottery jar was made around 3,000 years ago 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. Xindian pottery is rarer and generally much less refined, more coarse and brittle than pottery from some earlier Chinese Neolithic cultures. Like many Xindian jars, this example is quite "thinly-potted" and shows "...

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 attractive pear-shaped vase was made during the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1127 - 1279), most likely at one of the kilns in Fujian province. Interestingly it is made in several sections that have been luted together. The mid section is decorated with a scrolling lotus blossom pattern, below which is a repeating lotus leaf pattern. It is coated in a finely-crackled pale greenish-blue qingbai glaze of good colour, the colour at i...

This interesting stoneware jar was made during the Song Dynasty (AD 960 -1279). It is quite "heavily-potted" with deep ridges to the body and the applied decoration around the shoulder featuring a dragon chasing a pearl. The story of the dragon's pearl is one of the oldest tales in Chinese folklore. In addition to the dragon and pearl are five small appliqués. It is coated in a yellowish-brown glaze. The colour of the gla...

Unlike other Asian cultures of the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chinese did not sit on the floor. The simple fact that the Manchu invaders imported highly flexible furniture from their yurts influenced the development of Chinese design and decorative arts. Within a few years of the Manchu invasion, Chinese craftsmen combined their highly refined design aesthetic with extraordinary exotic woods, veneers, and lacquer to create s...

This high-fired bowl was made during the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1127 - 1279) in the 12th or 13th century at the Anqi kilns in Fujian province. Such wares were made for export around south-east Asia; indeed this bowl has been recovered from a shipwreck and various sea-growths still adhere to the surface in places, particularly to the unglazed base.

It has an attractive incised decoration, a spiral pattern in its ...

This unusual jar was made during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Apart from the short spout at the shoulder, it is a conventionally-shaped storage jar. The outer surface and inner mouth are coated in a black glaze. The glaze falls just short of the bottom of the jar leaving the concave base unglazed. Likewise, the inner surface also remains unglazed.

This is quite large jar with a height of 22.25cm, diameter 20.5 cm. The upper part of t...

This very rare pottery model of a stove was made during the early Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386 - 534). It is "heavily-potted" and made from a reddish pottery that is highly-fired and coated with a dark amber glaze that has been applied unevenly and has degraded in places. To the top of the stove are various items of kitchen ware, although they are indistinct as the moulding is not very crisp and the glaze is quite thick i...

This heavily-potted stoneware bowl was made at the Sawankhalok kilns during the 13th - 15th Century. The inner surface is decorated with incised geometric patterns with a flower head at its centre. It is coated in a finely-crackled celadon glaze that, on the outer surface, stops short of the foot. In the centre of the recessed base can be seen the mark form the pontil on which this bowl stood in the kiln during fir...

This stoneware bowl was made at the Sawankhalok kilns around the 14th - 15th century. It is quite "heavily-potted" and coated in a finely-crackled translucent celadon glaze. The inner surface has been decorated with incised parallel bands and vertical lines. The unglazed lower part of the underside has fired to a reddish-brown.

Quite a large bowl with a diameter of 19.75 cm. It is in overall good condition with no restoration o...

This stoneware bowl was made at the Sawankhalok kilns around the 14th - 15th century. It is quite "heavily-potted" and coated in a finely-crackled translucent olive-green celadon glaze. The inner surface has been elaborately decorated with incised parallel bands and vertical lines, with surface decoration also to the flared rim.. The base remains unglazed revealing the pale grey stoneware body.

Quite a large bowl with a diameter o...

This footed round stoneware box was made during the 14th - 15th century at the Sawankhalok kilns. It is decorated with scrolling and geometric patterns in underglaze iron-brown with a clear blueish and finely-crackled glaze. The inner surface of the box is coated with same clear blueish glaze.

This is a large example of its type with a diameter of 13 cm. Overall condition is very good with no repair or restoration, although there ...

This stoneware jar was made during the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279 - 1368). It is quite "heavily-potted" and made from a sandy coloured stoneware. The inner and upper outer surfaces have been coated in a chocolate-brown glaze. Around the shoulder on opposing sides are two loop handles. Although not immediately obvious, this jar has, at some time in its history, been horizontally broken in two and expertly re-joined around the lower body (see images, bearin...

This attractive small covered jar was made during the 13th / 14th Century (Song / Yuan Dynasty). It is coated inside and out in a pale Qingbai type of glaze that is very finely-crackled. The colour of the glaze varies a little, appearing slightly paler to the cover and inner surface of the jar. The cover has a carved pattern to give it the appearance of a tiled roof; this jar represents a granary.

Height 9 cm. It is in g...

This attractive small covered jar was made during the 13th / 14th Century (Song / Yuan Dynasty). This jar is a little more "heavily-potted" that other similar examples. It is coated inside and out in a pale greenish Qingbai glaze. The cover has a carved pattern to give it the appearance of a tiled roof; this jar represents a granary. Part of the edge of the cover has escaped the glaze and the unglazed part has fired to a reddi...

This attractive small covered jar was made during the 13th / 14th Century (Song / Yuan Dynasty). This jar has quite a wide body and is unusually "heavily-potted" for its type. It is coated inside and out in a pale green Qingbai glaze that is very finely-crackled. The colour of the glaze varies a little, especially to the cover where it is a little paler. The cover has a carved pattern to give it the appearance of a tiled roof...

This attractive pottery figure was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906) and most likely represents a groom. It is made from a red pottery and joins at the sides show it was made in a two-piece mould. The surface has been cold-painted in a white pigment with the facial details picked out in red and black pigments. The figures stands in attendance with hands clasped together under long sleeves. Note also the details of the...

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...

This tall and impressive pottery "stick" figure was made during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8), more specifically, the 2nd century BC. It is "heavily-potted" and made from a dense fine-grained pale grey pottery. It has been "cold painted" with a pink/brown flesh-coloured pigment. Note the detail of the facial features and the hairstyle, worn with a top knot.

Various types of "stick" figures have been excavated, altho...

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...

This very rare large and impressive pottery jar was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is "heavily-potted" and made from a hard high-fired pottery. The body is topped with a fairly wide and tall neck, its cylindrical form then tapering inwards towards the flat base. The surface has been deeply impressed with a repeated geometric pattern all the way from below the neck to the base.

Height 44 cm (17...

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...

This pottery tripod vessel, or "ding", was made during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8). It is made from a grey pottery, relatively highly-fired, both body and cover having a distinct ring when tapped. The body stands on three sturdy integral feet. On opposite sides at the waist are two square-cut handles. The top of the cover has a protruding ring that allows it to be turned upside-down and used as a bowl. Both cover and bo...

This rare pottery tripod ("li") was made some 4,000 years ago. Although similar vessels were made by various Chinese Neolithic cultures, we believe this particular example to have been made by potters of the Qijia Culture (c. 2050 - 1700 BC). 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 the contents inside the vessel. Such tripods are...

This pottery jar was made some 4,000 years ago by peoples of the Neolithic Qijia Culture (c. 2050 - 1700 BC), in the north of China, what is now eastern Gansu province. They produced a variety of pottery vessels including cord-impressed pottery of many shapes and sizes. This particular example is quite "heavily-potted" with the upper body decorated by one long incised line that spirals, haphazardly, down from the neck to t...

This large and impressive pottery vessel was made during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 220). It is made from a red pottery and coated in an unusual and attractive streaky yellowish-brown glaze, the colour of which pleasingly varies across its surface. This vessel represents a granary and its top part is in the form of a three-tiered tiled roof. The cylindrical body is decorated with three bands of incised lines, and sta...

This large and impressive pottery vessel was made some 2,000 years ago during the latter part of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8), the short-lived Xin Dynasty (AD 9 - 25) or the early Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 220). It is very similar to other large amber-glazed granaries excavated from a tomb in Xi'an dated to the Xin Dynasty (AD 9 - 25).

This vessel is a granary and its top part represents a two-tiered tiled roof. It ...

This large and impressive pottery vessel was made some 2,000 years ago during the latter part of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8), the short-lived Xin Dynasty (AD 9 - 25) or the early Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 220). It is very similar to other large amber-glazed granaries excavated from a tomb in Xi'an dated to the Xin Dynasty (AD 9 - 25).

It is made from a red pottery and coated in an amber glaze that in places has a silvery sheen...

This porcelain dish was made during the 15th century. It has rounded sides and a "hole-bottom" base. It is decorated inside with, although rather indistinct, a "red biscuit" fish amongst water weeds that are in underglaze blue.

Diameter 11.5 cm. There are some crackles to the glaze and the glaze to the underside has an "orange peel" effect with some kiln grit embedded within the glaze. There is no ...

This decorative pottery tile was made during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912). It is made from a dense grey pottery. The surface has been carved with an attractive floral design featuring two flower blossoms within a circular border. It has been cold-painted with various coloured pigments. It would once have been part of a series of similar tiles adorning a wall.

It is quite large, measuring around 27 cm (10.5 inches) square. ...

This decorative pottery tile was made during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912). It is made from a dense grey pottery. The surface has been carved with an attractive floral design featuring leaves and a flower blossom within a circular border. It has been cold-painted with various coloured pigments. It would once have been part of a series of similar tiles adorning a wall.

It is quite large, measuring around 27 cm (10.5 inches) ...

This pottery jar of "hu" form 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 relatively highly-fired reddish pottery and is particularly "heavily-potted". Unusually, other than being glazed, there is no other decoration. The outer surface is coated in a thin pale greenish-brown glaze, the colour of which varies a little in places. The flat base has ...