Rare Chinese Warring States Painted Pottery Ritual Food Vessel (475 - 221 BC)

This unusual and rare pottery vessel was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is quite "heavily-potted" and made from a dense grey pottery. Both the vessel and its cover have been decorated with elaborate cold-painted geometric patterns in white and reddish-brown pigments...

Rare Chinese Warring States Painted Pottery Ritual Food Vessel (475 - 221 BC)

This unusual and rare pottery vessel was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is quite "heavily-potted" and made from a dense grey pottery. Both the vessel and its cover have been decorated with elaborate cold-painted geometric patterns in white and reddish-brown pigments...

Rare Chinese Warring States Painted Pottery Ritual Food Vessel with Brazier (475 - 221 BC)

This unusual and rare pottery vessel was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is quite "heavily-potted" and made from a high-fired dense grey pottery. It is hollow with the top flat surface being concave. It has two study handles at opposing sides that each have four small round appliqués to the upper surface...

Rare Chinese Warring States Painted Pottery Ritual Food Vessel (475 - 221 BC)

This unusual and rare pottery vessel was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). It is quite "heavily-potted" and made from a high-fired dense grey pottery. It is hollow with the top flat surface being concave. It has two study handles at opposing sides that each have four small round appliqués to the upper surface...

Fine & Rare Chinese Warring States Burnished Pottery Amphora

This fine and attractive jar, or amphora, was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC) and is very likely a predecessor to the more widely-known later Han dynasty pottery amphorae that have a "swirling" pattern to their bodies. It is very finely-potted and relatively highly-fired and made from a dark grey/black pottery...

Chinese Western Han Dynasty Painted Pottery Cocoon Jar (206 BC - AD 8)

This fine quality pottery "cocoon" jar was made some 2,000 years ago during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8). It is made from a fine-grained grey pottery that is relatively highly-fired and has a very smooth surface. It has been decorated by cold-painting various coloured pigments with a design of swirling cloud patterns within vertical and geometric bands...

Rare Chinese Warring States Incised & Burnished Black Pottery Jar

This fine and very rare pottery jar was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC) and comes from Yunnan province (see information below). It is made from a dark grey/black pottery and has a finely-burnished surface, particularly smooth to the touch, making it a delight to handle as well as to view. Around the shoulder is a band of lightly-incised wavy lines and on each side a scroll-shaped appliqué...

Fine & Rare Chinese Warring States Incised & Burnished Black Pottery Jar

This fine and attractively-shaped pottery jar was made during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC) and comes from Yunnan province (see information below). It is finely-potted, relatively highly-fired and made from a dark grey/black pottery. It has a burnished surface, particularly smooth to the touch making it a delight to handle as well as to view...

Fine & Rare Chinese Neolithic Pottery Owl Jar / Ewer - Qijia Culture (c. 2050 - 1700 BC)

This rare and interesting pottery vessel was made by peoples of the Qijia Culture (c. 2050 - 1700 BC). Such vessels are sometimes called "owl" jars. It is quite "heavily-potted" and made from a reddish-grey pottery. The "top" of the vessel has woven impressions, most likely made when this piece of clay was being formed, resting on a woven mat, prior to being luted to the top of the ewer...

Very Rare Chinese Neolithic Decorated Pottery Jar - Banshan Phase

This very rare and interesting pottery jar was made over 4,000 years ago during the Banshan Phase of the Majiayao culture (c. 2600 - 2300 BC) , from present day Gansu province. Banshan pottery is usually recognised as being finely burnished and elaborately painted, but more unusual vessels such as this were also made and are sometimes found alongside the painted vessels...

Very Rare Chinese Neolithic Twin-Necked Pottery Jar - Qijia Culture (c. 2050 - 1700 BC)

This very unusual and extremely rare pottery jar was made around 4,000 years ago by peoples of the Neolithic Qijia Culture (c. 2050 - 1700 BC), from what is now eastern Gansu province, China...

Tall Chinese Neolithic Qijia Culture Pottery Jar / Vase

This tall and attractively-shaped pottery vessel was made around 4,000 years ago by peoples of the Qijia Culture in present-day Gansu or Qinghai province, China dating from c. 2050 - 1700 BC. It is made from quite a high-fired pottery the colour of which varies in places due to uneven conditions during its firing. The lower surface has been decorated with repeated impressed vertical lines. At the waist are two loop handles, with the sur...

Classic green glazed Han Dynasty grain storage silo. This item has been repaired (by me), please examine enlargements for condition. This has an excellent lead glazed silver patina and well executed little bears for legs. H: 27cm/10.6in and D: 20cm/7.9in (at the roof).

Green mottled glazed censer with classic little bears as legs, some loss of glaze in the back noted in enlargements and a few chips on the mouth rim and legs. D: 21cm/8.2in and H: 13.2cm/5.2in.

Fine & Very Rare Unusual Chinese Han Dynasty Pottery Amphora

A superbly conceived design; jars of this general type have been found in excavations dating as far back as the Spring and Autumn Period (770-475 BC). Although perhaps not obviously Chinese in design, this type of vessel is one of the most iconic forms of Han Dynasty period pottery and is thought by many archaeologists to be anthropomorphic, with the shape and "swirling" design of the main body based on the female human form. Desi...

Fine Large Chinese Neolithic Banshan Phase Painted Pottery Jar - (Ex. Christie's 1997)

This large pottery jar was made over 4,000 years ago during the Banshan Phase (c.2600 - 2300 BC) of the Majiayao culture, also known as the Gansu-Yangshao culture, from present day Gansu or Qinghai province. It is made from a pale reddish pottery that is quite thinly potted with a smooth burnished surface and is relatively highly-fired. It is of a very pleasing form with its wide body, small flat base and ...

FINE & Rare Chinese Neolithic Machang Painted Pottery Jar

This fine pottery jar of an unusual form 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 highly-fired, thinly-potted and very well-proportioned. It has a wide globular body with a small flat base, a fairly short neck and flared mouth. There is one sturdy loop handle between the shou...

Very Rare Chinese Neolithic Painted Pottery Jar - Machang

This 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 high-fired pale pottery and is of a very unusual and rare form with its wide body, small unflared mouth, no handles and four pairs of purpose-made holes around its shoulder. These holes were clearly made whilst...