China. Terracotta Mingqi of Fat Lady, Tang dynastie, 700-750 AD

Obverse: SACRAMENTVM . MI – RACVLOSVM . BRVXELLE, cross with the Holy Hosts, carried by God the Father Reverse: dito VERY RARE, only 2 known specimens (1 in the KBR in Brussels and ...

Engraving of the commemorative medal and decoration of the Sea Battle of Doggersbank 1781, by Noach van der Meer After an earlier print by Jacobus Buys. Published in Beschrijving...

Obverse: FERDIN. VAN. COLLEN.TOPARCH. DE. GUNTERSTEIN. DOM. IN. TIENHOVEN. PRAETOR. ET. SENATOR. AMSTEL, armoured and draped bust of Ferdinand van Collen Reverse: AD. CONFOEDERATOR. ...

Obverse: MAVRITIVS. PR. AVR. CO. NASS. CAT. MARC. VER. ET. VLIS, armoured bust right, ÆT 34 on arm, underneath G.V.B.F. Reverse: TANDEM. FIT. SVRCVLVS. ARBOR, young orange tree sprou...

Magnificent standing horse in orange terracotta and traces of painting. With a finely decorated saddle and with the mane and tail hair braided. TL Test by Ralph Kotalla Lab NE: 09K12...

Very elegant terracotta dignitary in blue and red robes standing with the hands joined at the chest. He wears a blue headdress with a bird at its center. Orange Terracotta This gorg...

Painted pottery figure of an opulent Chinese court woman with up-swept hair and standing in a simply draped robe from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Her beauty is illuminated by the ...

Pair of Earths Spirits "Zhenmushou" from the China Tang Dynasty 618-907 AD. A beautiful and rare pair of "Earths Spirits guardians" from the Yunnan province region in the ancient China. This was created in clay earthenware pottery during the Tang Dynasty period between 618 and 907 AD. Featuring the molded figures of two seated guardians with decorations with polychrome pigmentations. The figures are seated on their haunches with cloven hooves planted firmly on the base looking forward with their front legs in a straight position. Both with face and body alert expressions on a rectangular base. Earth spirits usually appear in pairs, one with a human head and the other with a lion head. Their supernatural powers, indicated by antlers, spiky flanges and flames, enable them to confront evil spirits and protect any precincts within their gaze. Have been believed to protect the living by keeping the spirits of the dead from inappropriately roaming the world outside the tomb. Zhenmushou or guardian deities, developed from a line of protective spirits found normally in pairs at the front of Tang dynasty tombs. They served both to protect the figure from untoward spirits, and the outside world from the roving spirit of the dead. Combining features from a number of animals to form the perfect mythic beast, these mythical creatures were perceived to be the ideal guardians of the dead The semi human faced figure has a measures of 11.25 by 4.5 by 5.75 inches (28.57 x 11.43 x 14.60 Cm). The mythological lion animal figure has a measures of 10 by 5 by 5.8 inches (24.5 x 12.7 x 14.73 Cm). Tang dynasty or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Tend Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a the golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty. The Li family founded the dynasty, seizing power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire and inaugurating a period of progress and stability in the first half of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty was formally interrupted during 690–705 when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, proclaiming the Wu Zhou dynasty...