Chinese Ming Dynasty Glazed Tall Attendant Figure, 16th-17th Century, China

A fantastic pair of large Chinese tileworks sancai glazed Buddhistic lions and attendants, late Ming Dynasty, first half of the 17th century, Shanxi, China. Presented on custom 20th century wood and lacquer table-form stands. This pair of lions and attendants portray Buddhist lions...

A fantastic Chinese sancai (three color) glazed pottery roof ridge tile of an armored warrior on horseback, late Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644), circa 1600, C...

This is a rare Chinese Ming Dynasty bronze Fu Dog figural bronze tripod lidded censer used for incense. It has a Fu Dog or Qilin figural top lid with superbly carved details. The Fu ...

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...