Chinese Ceramics From Tang to Song

Chinese ceramic Yue ware olive-green glazed moulded vessel in the form of a chimera, bixie with raised head and open mouth bearing its teeth, the flanks with relief hairwork scrolls, the hairwork along its mane and back divided by the spine supporting a short cylindrical holder, with elaborate pleated tail and short recumbent legs.

Chinese pottery straw glazed ovoid jar and cover, guan, with four double-loop handles at the shoulder above an incised line repeated on the cover surmounted by a flat knop, covered overall in an even straw glaze falling short of the buff-coloured foot rim with a further incised unglazed line on the lower body, the interior covered in an olive-green glaze with three spur marks in the well.

Chinese pottery sancai, three-colour glazed miniature circular box and cover, he, with gently domed cover, straight sides with a curved foot and flat base, the glaze evenly splashed falling short at the foot rim revealing the unglazed buff-coloured body.

Large Chinese sancai, three-colour glazed pottery standing figure of a West Asian civil official, his hands clasped at the front, wearing long flowing robes with three-colour splashed breast plate and cuffs, rich chestnut jacket, upright collar and shoes, with white glazed skirt having traces of oxidisation and splashed raised rockwork form openwork base, the detailed face and official hat unglazed with traces of original pink and black pigment.

Chinese pottery sancai, three-colour glazed globular waterpot and cover, guan, with gently inturned mouth and ridged lipped rim, the cover with a bud-form finial, splashed on the body with a bright three-colour glaze running towards the unglazed slightly concave foot revealing the buff-coloured body, with a clear glaze on the well of the interior, the cover similarly decorated.

Chinese pottery blue glazed jar, guan, of well-rounded globular form with flat base and short flared neck, covered overall in a rich and even royal blue glaze extending in large splashes on the interior which also has a clear glaze, the rim with three spur marks from the firing.

Chinese pottery phoenix-head ewer, fengshouhu, with slender pear-shaped body, moulded on each side in an oval shape reserve on a splayed buff-coloured pottery foot, with slender neck and stem-form handle forming a flower behind the phoenix bird’s head of predominately blue colour splashed with cream, green and amber glaze beneath a crest and flat rim, one side moulded with a galloping archer turning back to perform the Parthian shot surrounded by flowerheads on a blue ground, the other side with an open-winged phoenix bird standing on one foot perched on a flowerhead surrounded by further flowerheads on a blue ground, the neck and handle of a rich amber glaze, the flat rim with three spur marks from the firing.

Chinese pottery sancai, three-colour glazed bowl, wan, with everted rim and raised cavetto, the three-colour splashed glaze covering the interior and exterior falling short of the buff-coloured inverted foot rim, the well of the interior with spur marks from the firing.

Large Chinese pottery sancai, three-colour glazed Bactrian camel, the body predominantly of rich amber glaze, standing with its head raised back with wide open mouth, flared nostrils and bulging eyes, a swept-back mane and flowing hair behind its head, the neck with long strands of hair combed to both sides and heightened in a straw glaze, wearing a three-colour splashed saddle cloth pleated at the edge beneath its straw-glazed tufted humps swaying in each direction, the top of the legs and the tail also heightened in straw glaze, the base unglazed with original drips of glaze.

Chinese large pottery sancai, three-colour glazed jar and cover, guan, painted with ‘a hundred prunus blossom’ in cream and amber glaze on a green ground beneath an amber glazed neck and rim, the cover surmounted by a bud-form finial and similarly decorated. Total height with cover 11 ¾ inches, 29.8 cm.

Chinese amber glazed marbled pottery small circular cosmetic box, he, with flattened edge and gently domed cover with matching flat base, the interior similarly glazed with spur marks from the firing.

Chinese pottery sancai, three-colour glazed quatrefoil moulded cup, bei, fluted with twelve foliate lobes, the interior splashed with amber and white on a predominantly green ground, the exterior with four raised leaf scroll-end reserves, each on a stippled ground and beneath linear fluting at the rim, the well of the interior with three spur marks from the firing.

Chinese pottery amber glazed standing horse with straw glazed head and wide bulging eyes, muscular body and unglazed saddle and cloth, loosely tied on each side with traces of original pigment, the mane ridged for hairwork attachment, the behind similarly pierced for a hairwork tail.

Chinese sancai, three-colour glazed pottery basin, pen, moulded in the centre with a six-petalled flowerhead encircled by six conjoined larger petals in cream, green and amber highlights on an amber glazed ground beneath a striped stylized petal border in the deep cavetto, beneath green and cream glaze on the rim, the exterior with amber glaze falling short of the smooth buff-coloured body, three interior spur marks.

Chinese sancai, three-colour and blue glazed pottery jar, guan, with short flared rim and broad baluster body, covered overall in a rich blue, amber and cream glaze falling short of the buff-coloured foot.

Chinese pottery sancai, three-colour glazed circular cosmetic box and cover, he, with gently domed cover, flat sides and curved base, the unglazed base revealing the buff-coloured body, the interior of the box base with traces of clear glaze turning iridescent.

Chinese pottery sancai, three-colour glazed quatrefoil presentation dish, pan, supported on four outward curled legs moulded on the sides with scrollwork, decorated with a deep cobalt blue and white-splashed glaze, the reverse partially covered with an amber glaze falling short of the centre revealing the buff-coloured body.

Chinese pottery two-colour globular pouring vessel, hu, with broad rounded body, short neck, flared rim and hexagonal spout on a gently everted foot and recessed base, covered overall in a rich and lustrous green and white splashed glaze extending on the interior of the rim with a clear glaze in the well, falling short of the foot and base revealing the buff-coloured body, the shoulder with a ribbed and raised band, the rim with a further ridge.