Rare Tall Chinese Xixia Dynasty Glazed Stoneware Jar

This tall cylindrically-shaped storage jar comes from Ningxia in north-west China and dates to the Xixia Dynasty (1038 - 1227). It is "heavily-potted" and coated in a thick glaze, the colour varying from black to brown according to its thickness. This jar must have been placed close to other vessels in the kiln during firing as there are several kiln scars to the upper body. The wide foot remains unglazed with thick glaze covering the sli...

Chinese Blue & White Porcelain Vase, Late Ming Dynasty / Transitional

This attractive porcelain jar, or vase, was made in the Transitional period, c. 1620 - 1660, most likely during either the Tianqi reign (1621 - 1627) or the Chongzhen reign (1628 - 1643) of the Ming Dynasty. It is fairly "heavily-potted" and made in three sections that have been luted together prior to glazing. The bold underglaze blue pattern features blossoming plants on opposite sides of the body. It is coated in a thic...

Rare Large Chinese Ming Dynasty Blue & White Porcelain Bowl - Dragon, Phoenix, Fish, Peony

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 a dragon, a phoenix and a peony. The inner design features a leaping fish amongst waves. Within the recessed base is a simple character or mark. It is coated in a thick glaze. There is some kiln grit...

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

Perhaps the most desirable and collectable pottery sculpture from the Tang Dynasty is the female courtier, or "fat lady". This fine example was made during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906). The figure is made from a reddish-brown pottery and is relatively highly-fired. There are minor firing fissures to the base of the figure where the pottery is thick. It has been cold-painted in a base coat of a creamy-white...

During the Kamakura period in Japan (1185-1333), a remarkable form of Buddhist sculpture known as the votive Buddha emerged. Commonly referred to as kakebotoke (hanging Buddhas), pieces like this would have been mounted on spherical plaques made of bronze or copper and hung in a Buddhist temple or possibly even in a Shinto shrine. These small-scale sculptures were created to serve as objects of devotion and were often commissioned by wealthy individuals or temples. The Kurakama perio...

Cosmic rays flow away in a burst of green over the twilight color of this vessel by Furutani Hiromu (Churoku I) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Yohen Tsubo. The entire vase seems to be covered in ashen gray over which the vivid green glass has flown, forming rivulets leading to a single crystalline drop on the opposite side. It is 22 cm (9 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Furutani Hiromu (Churoku I, 1922-2012) Fa...

The term “Raku” was once reserved for a style of pottery produced by a specific household in Kyoto that began over 450 years ago. Over the years, as it gained popularity, several branch kilns were established (Ōhi, Tamamizu) and a number of other lineages arose making pieces in the style of Raku, though they were not formally associated with the Raku household. Today, we see that Raku has become a world-wide phenomena and the name is no longer reserved strictly for the Raku fami...

Chinese fan painting of two cats by the artist Xu Beihong. The cats, one with eyes wide, the other asleep, crouch on a rock under a leafy branch. Xu Beihong (1895-1953) was born in rural Yixing, Jiangsu Province. His father was a private school teacher and Xu began painting at the age of 9. He traveled to Tokyo to study art, returning to China to start teaching at Peking University Arts School. Throughout his lifetime he traveled extensively, studied, taught and exhibited throughout Eur...

An antique Korean money chest or trunk made entirely of heavy Red Pine wood. All hand forged iron hardmounts and fittings. Strong box design to withstand the heavy weight caused by the storage of coins.

Age: 19th Century (Yi Dynasty)

Dimensions: 42" Wide by 16 1/4" High by 20" Deep

A vintage Chinese Huanghuali coffer table with one drawer and a pair of doors. Key fret design on the apron front. Doors open to two removable shelves. Brass mounts.

Age: Mid century 1950's to 1960

Dimensions: 31 1/2" Wide by 29 1/8" High by 13 1/4" Deep

Chinese painting of a beautiful lady with a fan by Zhang Da-Qian (Chang Dai-chien) the famous 20th century artist, 张爰 Zhang Yuan (1899-1983). Painted in ink and light colors on paper. A beauty in a white dress leans demurely on a rock, a fan resting on her chin. One of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Originally known as a traditionalist painter, by the 1960s he was also renowned as a modern impressionist and expressionist painter. When he was y...

An antique Chinese altar table made of Huanghuali wood with a work surface incorporating a cloisonné insert. Cabriole legs with claw feet each holding a ball leading up to the mitered corners profiling the Fu Dogs. Central carved image on the front and back shows the Fu Dogs. Scrolling vines throughout the apron with an archaic Ching dynasty key fret below which are lotus petals surrounding the table. The Cloisonne surface features the 7 Buddhist symbols among an arabesque design of lotus ...

Chinese painting of a temple on a mountain top near a waterfall by Zhang Da-Qian (Chang Dai-chien) the famous 20th century artist, 张爰 Zhang Yuan (1899-1983). Painted in ink and using his signature technique of blue and green mineral colors in a wet-on-wet technique. One of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Originally known as a traditionalist painter, by the 1960s he was also renowned as a modern impressionist and expressionist painter. When he was...

An antique Indian celestial maiden wood carved panel. Shown holding a conch shell in the left hand and an ax in the right hand. Originally displayed outdoors in a Hindu temple.

Age: Early 1900's

Dimensions: 11 1/2" Wide by 31" High by 3 3/4" Deep

Hard porcelain vase covered with a crackle glaze. Decor of two facing dragons enamelled in an exceptionally bright electric blue, their eyes enamelled in yellow. Two friezes enamelled in green and a frieze of stylized flowers molded in relief on a celadon background. The style and quality of the drawings, enamels and technique suggest a creation by Makuzu Kozan. There is no mark, but the base seems to have been ground, if so, it was probably to erase a mark which would have made it possible to i...

Antique Japanese gyosho bako (peddler's chest for a traveling salesman). Made with sugi (cryptomeria - cypress) wood on the outside and kiri (paulownia) wood on the inside, this box would have been light enough to carry. The single door opens to reveal a series of 10 light weight stacking trays which slide out like drawers. Each is marked with a character in light ink for organization. There is also an exterior drawer with a round iron lock and square handle. The door closes with an iron ...

Antique Chinese set of 6 painted panels. Painted with scenes of mountains in rolling mist, tall waterfalls, and hidden pavilions. Accented here and there with charming vignettes of scholars, noble ladies and children enjoying the the beauty of nature. Painted in ink and mineral colors on silk.

Age: circa 1800's

Dimensions: 71" high x 22 3/4" wide (each frame)

Antique Chinese small cabinet with six open shelves originally intended for displaying small precious artworks. There are two small drawers between the upper and lower shelves. The bottom portion of the chest has two cabinet compartments opened by hinged doors. The entire surface of the wooden cabinet is lacquered and detailed with vine and floral motifs.

Age: Ming Dynasty

Dimensions: 24" high x 21 3/4" wide x 7 1/4" deep