Large Chinese Neolithic Machang Painted Pottery Jar (c. 2300 - 2000 BC)

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...

Ancient Chinese Buddhist Pottery Amulet - Ming Dynasty

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...

Ancient Chinese Buddhist Pottery Amulet - Ming Dynasty

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...

Ancient Chinese Buddhist Pottery Amulet - Ming Dynasty

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...

Ancient Chinese Buddhist Pottery Amulet - Ming Dynasty

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...

Ancient Chinese Buddhist Pottery Amulet - Ming Dynasty

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...

Ancient Chinese Buddhist Pottery Amulet - Ming Dynasty

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...

Small gilt bronze altar dedicated to Bodhisattva Padmapani, resting on four pillars, showing the Bodhisattva standing, backed by an aureola, holding a gourd in his left hand, his right hand in appeasing/blessing posture (abhaya mudra). Fine patina. China, Northern Wei Dynasty. Height: 8.3 cm. Very good condition.

Rare Large Chinese Ming Dynasty Swatow Porcelain Incised Celadon Dish - Flying Horses

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...

Rare Chinese Song / Yuan Dynasty Glazed Stoneware Censer

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...

Chinese Southern Song Dynasty Moulded Qingbai Porcelain Vase

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...

Chinese Ming Dynasty Celadon Glazed Porcelain "Bullet" Jar

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...

Fine Chinese Song Dynasty Glazed Stoneware Jar (Dragon Chasing Pearl)

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...

Chinese Northern Song Dynasty Qingbai Porcelain Bowl in Kiln Saggar

A rare opportunity to acquire a Northern Song Dynasty (AD 960 - 1127) kiln saggar still containing its Qingbai porcelain bowl, excavated from a kiln site in the Jingdezhen area of Jiangxi province. This is one of a variety of different Qingbai porcelain wares in saggars, mostly bowls and dishes of varying sizes and patterns, that we were very lucky to be able to acquire some time ago and now offer for sale. 

Northern ...

Chinese Northern Song Dynasty Qingbai Porcelain Bowl in Kiln Saggar

A rare opportunity to acquire a Northern Song Dynasty (AD 960 - 1127) kiln saggar still containing its Qingbai porcelain bowl, excavated from a kiln site in the Jingdezhen area of Jiangxi province. This is one of a variety of different Qingbai porcelain wares in saggars, mostly bowls and dishes of varying sizes and patterns, that we were very lucky to be able to acquire some time ago and now offer for sale. 

Northern ...

New Reference Book: Classical Chinese Furniture – Marcus Flacks

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...

Chinese Song Dynasty Qingbai Porcelain Twin Fish Dish (Ex. Lammers Collection)

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...

Fine Chinese Southern Song Dynasty Incised Celadon Porcelain Bowl (19cm)

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 ...