Ma Jun (1974), TV Ceramic Sculpture, "New China" Series, Chinese Art 2005

Superb sculpture of a laying doe from the Chinese Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). Remainders of polychromic paint, namely red, symbol of good fortune and joy as well as the season of summer, and green, symbol of vigor and vitality and the season of spring. Mounted on base. A similar sculpture in bronze is kept at the Met Museum with the following description " A low bed, small table, and screen were often the only furnishings in a Han-dynasty room. The floors were generally covered with mats kept in place with weights in the shape of single animals, fighting beasts, or entertainers." Condition seen in pictures. Dimensions in cm ( H x L x l ) : - Sculpture : 35 x 40 x 10 - With base : 45.5 x 44 x 15 The Han Dynasty ruled China from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D. and was the second imperial dynasty of China. It is known for its promotion of Confucianism as the state religion and opening the Silk Road trade route to Europe, permanently altering the course of Chinese history. Han Dynasty art and inventions like paper still influence the world today. From the Han Dynasty to the present, deer can be found in many materials and media—rock crystal, nephrite, ink on paper, porcelain, cloisonné enamel, jade, bamboo root, textile, bronze, etc.—alone or in groups, among trees and rocks and in various positions. They appear on everyday objects, from boxes to incense burners, incense holders, lamps, mirror holders and the droppers scholars used when they wrote. A symbol of longevity and grace in Chinese mythology, the word deer is pronounced lu, a homonym for emoluments—favors granted to officials. They therefore represent wealth, nobility and success in imperial examinations (civil service exams for selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy in Imperial China). Deer were the faithful companions of Shu Lao, the god of longevity, and the goddess Magu. They were reputed to live long and to be the only creature able to find the mushroom of immortality, linghzhi. Although its spots are different, deer are sometimes confused or associated with stags, a Manchu hunting trophy whose antlers served to make prestigious furniture. (La Gazette Drouot, Claire Papon) For the colours found on this piece, in Chinese culture, red symbolizes good fortune and joy. Green, symbolizes the spring when everything is brimming over with vigor and vitality. The Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) continued the Qin Dynasty’s use of dark colours, but incorporated red. During the earlier years, or Western Han Dynasty, ordinary people wore red while court dress was black. Shoes were red in color. The clothing worn for sacrificial rites was black edged with red. In the later Eastern Han Dynasty, red symbolized the dynasty’s “fire Virtue” and became predominant. Court dress was red. Sacrificial rites called for a red-edged white layer under robes with red socks...

Superb Gustave Tiffoche ceramic stoneware tulip vase. Freeform decorations punctuated by colourful hues of blues, browns and whites. Dimensions in cm ( H x D ) : 28 x 12 In excellent condition. Secure shipping. Gustave Tiffoche is one of the great French stoneware artists of the late 20th century. He started his earthenware works at the age of 33. "In 1961, Tiffoche made his first approach to pottery at Norbert Pierlot, in Ratilly. That year the gallery of the Castle exposes the great names of the ceramics world: Bernard Leach, Shoji Hamada, Raîja Tuumi, A.Cumella, Daniel de Montmollin, Georges Jouve, M. and Y. Mohy, Jean and Jacqueline Lerat, De Vinck. He met and became friends with several of them along the way. Two years later, he set up his workshop in Guérande. He began to produce unique pieces in parallel with a production of utilitarian pieces and built his first wood-fired kiln in 1963. In 1966, he participated for the first time in a ceramics exhibition at the Hôtel de Sens in Paris, then at the Maison de la Culture in Caen, "Les Potiers contemporains". He organized his first personal exhibition of ceramics in 1968 at the "Michel Columb" gallery of Marie-Jo Marot in Nantes. On the walls, the paintings are of Gaston Chaissac. Exhibits came one after another afterwards, throughout France and abroad: Stuttgart in 1969, Montreal in 1970, Munich in 1971, Faienza in 1972, Dakar in 1984 and Sarrelouis in 1994. At the same time, regular exhibitions at the "convergence" gallery in Nantes allow the artist to continue his artistic evolution and questioning. He created a monumental ceramic fountain for the IUT in Saint-Nazaire in 1981. Other monumental works in stoneware will follow in La Roche-sur-Yon, Niort, Melle, Rennes, Bouaye, IRESTE of Nantes. Between 1970 and 1985, many young ceramists came to learn or perfect their Craft, or collaborated directly with him by working in his workshop. Among them, of note: Jorgen Hansen...

A ceramic sculpture piece created in the tradition of Buncheong ware by contemporary Korean ceramicist Sung Jae Choi (South Korean, b. 1962). In a hollow rectangular with slight irregularity of being hand-made, the piece evokes the distant memory of the stoneware pillow...

A ceramic sculpture. Perfect original conditions. Circa 1980-1990. 26 x 20 x 4 cm.