Ancient China 26" Tall Imperial Ming "Fish" Servant, 1368-1644

China, a carving of a canine “Pug”, Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 CE Dimensions: 38 cm, 15” High Photographs taken indoors and out of doors for your viewing pleasure. The hand carved limestone beast shown on its haunches with naturalistic joyful expression and a well defined compact head, ears, noes, eyes, feet, and tail parted to one side on reverse with distinctive collar ornament seated four square on a thick base all-over showing a weathered surface from significant age. Formerly exhibited “Asia Week” New York City, Fuller Building, Hutton Gallery 2006. Provenance: ex collection luoyang, Henan Province, China. Includes custom display base as shown Catalog reference: 35 years collecting 35 treasures, Number 35, p.76 (photo) In ancient China, it is a well-known fact that several types of small dogs were bred and were favored pet gifts between emperors and kings including Lion Dogs, Pekingese and Lo-sze breeds. Some Lo-sze are pictured wearing collars with bells a frequent combination fancied by European royalty of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Lo-sze or pugs were prized for their compact body, good bones, flat face, square jaw, short coat, curled tail, side set back ears, and temperate disposition. History: Placing stone animals in important tombs can be traced back at least to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), some two thousand years ago. In ancient times, stone animals and human figures placed before imperial tombs symbolized royal power and privilege in addition to decorative functions. The first Ming tomb...

From our recent Japanese acquisitions A rare couple. These Japanese Tachibina dolls represent the simplest essential form of the imperial couple. Their beautiful faces were crafted from crushed shell called gofun coated over carved wood and their dress feature period Edo (1840) textile kimono dress. Used as the display for the Girl’s day celebration, more specifically they are constructed of kinran brocade fabric covered paper, the heads carved of wood and covered in gofun with painted features and inset hair, the male form with outstretched arms and conical legs, the female has a cylindrical form. They come in an original kiri wood storage box. Dimensions: Large doll 12 inches tall and 6 inches wide Small doll...

Handsome Chinese Four Panel Coromandel Hand Carved and Hand Gilded Wood Screen mounted on board. Carved Wood panels with gilding depicting a pavilion scene with warriors and general...

Japan, a stunning large scroll painting of Koi lazily swimming in a placid pond among Momiji fallen leaves. Hand painted in vibrant colors- an auspicious art composition rendered on ...

"Rabbit Girl of Wonderland" Japan, an important tall 35" hand cast bronze effigy of a young woman clutching a prize rabbit, by important national artisan ...

Chinese extraordinary natural stone "Painting" & with custom hardwood frame Sea and Mountains in one unique work of art This Chinese extraordinary natural stone "painting" of a mountain range in white and gray colors is called a dream stone Shih-hua. They are cut from historic Dali marble found in the Cangshan mountains of western China. These mysterious mountains, unique in the world, are known for yielding incredible and fantastic natural landscaped works of art created over tens of millions of years from mineral inclusions that affected the process of ancient organic material which transformed into limestone and finally resulted in marble- a metamorphic hard stone. This art form is centuries of years old since the Ming dynasty. Dream stones became favored art in the west particularly since the 19th century when French collectors named them Pierres de reve. This thin marble stone "painting" is approximately 1/4" thick and is cut from a large slab of rough material revealing incredible patterns in soft white and gray colors. Its weight is surprisingly modest- easily hung with standard hardware. On occasion, private collectors would invite an artisan to inscribe a poetic description onto their more important dream stones and in this case the artists' seal mark and calligraphy translation reads: Dimensions: Frame: 16.5 inches high and 29 inches wide. Site: 12.75 inches high and 25 inches wide. Provenance: Private Chinese collection, Yunnan, China. History of "White and Gray" dream stone paintings: “White and Gray” dream stone paintings known in China as Shui Mo or Chinese painting stone...

Wonderful celestial deity head with a jovial expression in stone with a finely engraved cap. It is mounted on a custom lucite base. This piece is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, and Certificate of Expertise by Jean-Yves Nathan - Specialist in Asian Arts for the CEDEA (The European Confederation of Art Experts). The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China – then known as the Empire of the Great Ming...

A fine set of a six court attendants as in the Forbidden City of Beijing, elegantly dressed in a Green & Red Daopao – a traditional men’s formal attire from the Ming Dynasty dated 1368-1643 A.D. – with glazed robes and Red Pigment remains in their hat and belts. They stand in an honorary posture atop a red plinth, some with orifices in their hands, where spirit objects were placed to comfort or satisfy the deceased. The heads are detachable, as often seen on the larger figures from this period. They are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, and Certificate of Expertise by Jean-Yves Nathan - a leading authority specialized in Far East Archaeology from the CEDEA (The European Confederation of Art Experts). Burial figurines of graceful dancers, mystical beasts, and everyday objects reveal both how people in early China approached death and how they lived. Since people viewed the afterlife as an extension of worldly life, these figurines, called mingqi, sometimes referred as “spirit utensils” or “vessels of ghosts” disclose details of routine existence and provide insights into belief systems over a thousand-year period. The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China – then known as the Empire of the Great Ming – for 276 years (1368–1644 AD). Founded by Chu Yuan-chang, the rebel leader that was successful in removing the mongols from the throne. Chinese control was re-asserted in China and eastern Asia. Literature became more important, schools were created, and the justice system was reformed. The Ming dynasty is described by some as "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history,” was the last imperial dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Han Chinese. The practice of burying ceramic objects with the deceased went into decline from the 10th to the 14th Century AD. There was a revival in placing miniature representations of glazed terracotta objects such a furniture, food offerings, horses, miniature statues...

A magnificent pair of male and female courtiers from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) in excellent condition. They are wearing traditional Daopao robes in green and black garments wit...

Magnificent Lady Guanyin Bodhisattva seated in Royal Relaxation pose hand-carved in Gilded Wood with traces of paint still visible. This expressi...

A LARGE WOOD FIGURE OF GUANYIN WITH TRACES OF PIGMENTS MING DYNASTY (1368-1644) The bodhisattva is shown seated in padmasana, wearing long flowing ro...

Striking and decorative tall wall panels carved and gilt with overall openwork large scrolled acanthus leaves in relief, each leaf with raised ribs edg...