Han dynasty items, dating ca. 206 BCE-220 CE. The military figures were placed in the tomb to protect the deceased. They are depicted in leather tunics and carrying weapons. Note the shape of the bronze arrowheads, as they are pyramid form rather than of a flattened triangular shape.
Category: Ceramics
Soldiers on warhorses
The horses and the riders are ready for battle, and the animals show us how horses would have been adorned before a battle. The horses are depicted as nearly celestial, with oversized chests and very developed bodies atop strong legs that could have carried their riders safely into and out of battle.
Rose Canton
Rose Canton serving dish. Formed vessel in traditional “shrimp dish” style. Heavily gilded handle. Qing dynasty, 19th century.
Ming Vase
The Ming vase possesses a very rare color combination, known as Fa Hua, applied to a shape that is very difficult to execute well and is known as a mei ping. Mei ping vases were made to hold the first blossoms of spring, and were typically produced with a glaze of celadon or decorated in…
Rose Medallion Tazza
The tazza was produced for a marriage. It supports the twin fish motif, of importance to Asians, yet the colors and other design elements are typical of items made for export to Western consumers. This combination of colors and motifs makes this specimen quite unusual, and potentially a special order for the marrying couple.
Rose Medallion Garden Barrel
The garden barrel would have provided a seat for contemplation, with the cool porcelain making the garden pleasurable on a hot day.
Wei dynasty (386-556 CE) soldier.
This figure is depicted in battle dress, and poses with a full body shield. The task of this statue would have been to defend and protect the deceased in the afterlife.
From the Collections’ very large grouping of Chinese materials are these neolithic vessels,
all dating to approximately 2500 BCE. The larger jars were sometimes buried in the ground, up to their beginning of the decoration, to give them stability. This is a long-necked ewer, perhaps for wine, of the same age. Ceramics from China’s stone age are rare, and important to our understanding of Chinese culture, as it…
Very large 18th Century platter
depicting an imperial dragon with flaming pearls. The rare rouge color was made possible by blending ground ruby glass and powdered gold. Particles of both of these elements can be seen distinctly under magnification.No other ceramics from this period have been found to contain these paired ingredients. Microscopic enhanced image showing the ruby glass and…
Tang Dynasty Amphora with dragon handles, 618-906 CE.
The studded dragon handles give the impression of beasts drinking from this vessel. This type of amphora is believed to have been inspired by Persian silver ewers, illustrating the cosmopolitan tastes of the Tang court. This vessel is extremely rare, both for quality and condition, and for its pure monochrome color. The gray-white of the…