Chinese Celadon Glazed Temple Headrest, c. 1900

To keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman would use a rigid headrest or neck pillow to keep her head elevated. Whether functional or purely decorative, such headrests were crafted from a variety of materials and were often decorated with elaborate patterns or symbolic motifs. This porcelain headrest...

To keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman once used this ceramic headrest as a pillow. The headrest is shaped as a crouching house cat, w...

To keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman once used this ceramic headrest as a pillow. This headrest is shaped in the form of a baby boy,...

To keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman once used this ceramic headrest as a pillow. Its unusual form is densely patterned with abstrac...

In order to keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman once used this ceramic box as a pillow. Lavishly decorated in the traditional blue-and...

This small ceramic block is actually a form of Chinese headrest or neck pillow. Popular during the Qing dynasty, rigid headrests such as this were used by upper-class women to protect their elaborate hairstyles by elevating the head during slumber. This example dates to the mid-20th century and is glazed in the blue-and-white style with dark, cobalt-blue color. Each side of the headrest has a quadrilobe cartouche framing two mythical fu lions playing with a brocade ball, a motif that evokes the idiom "may you and your descendant achieve high rank." A powerful and benevolent guardian, the fu lion (shizi) is the perfect force to protect against nightmares and bad energy. The playful scene is surrounded by a cracked ice pattern dotted with plum blossoms, symbols of winter and longevity. A geometric meander trims the corners and small bats frame coin...

A Chinese unglazed ceramic headrest with lovely patina and naieve carvings on both sides. ONe geometrical and one of a fantasy beast (griffion?). These headrests are found in difform...

Simple modern taste for this vintage crakle Chinese vase, also suitable for a table lamp. (from my Chinese Collection). nr. O/3202.    (special price for closing activities).

A wonderful blue-green glaze adorns this early 20th Century Chinese storage jar along with a stunning crackled finish. Jars such as these would be used to store grains amid people's ...

A darling small Chinese celadon glazed kendi, or pouring vessel, mid Qing Dynasty, 18th century, China, for the Southeast Asian market. The diminutive kendi of typical form, with ...

This pair of small Chinese Shar Pei puppies was made in the mid-19th century, circa 1860.                They are charming creatures with adorable faces. Th...

This is a good Chinese hardwood foo dog, sometimes called a temple lion that we date to the late Qing period, circa 1900. The piece is hand carved as a fierce dog or lion sat on a...