{"title":"Han Dynasty","description":"\u003cp\u003eAncient Chinese art and antiquities from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), one of the most celebrated and influential periods in Chinese history. Han Dynasty works include tomb ceramics, bronze vessels, jade objects, and figural sculpture that reflect the sophistication and ambition of imperial China at its early height.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-pair-of-western-han-dynasty-painted-grey-pottery-owl-form-vessels-china-206-bce-9-ce","title":"A Pair of Western Han Dynasty Painted Grey Pottery Owl-Form Vessels – China, 206 BCE – 9 CE","description":"\u003cp\u003eA rare and evocative pair of Chinese painted grey pottery owl-form vessels, dating to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 9 CE), from the prominent David and Beverly Hall Billings Collection, Nantucket, Massachusetts. Works with named American private collection provenance of this caliber are among the most desirable in the Chinese antiquities market.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach vessel is modeled in the form of an owl with wings held close to the body, the backs folded snugly over one another in a compact and balanced composition. The faces are boldly characterized by large hooked beaks and rounded, slightly protruding eyes, lending the figures a vigilant and commanding presence. The restrained yet expressive modeling exemplifies the Han dynasty’s ability to combine natural observation with stylized abstraction — a quality that distinguishes the finest Han ceramic sculpture from the merely competent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eOwl-Form Vessels in Han Dynasty Art\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnimal-form vessels of the Western Han period occupied an important place in the funerary arts of early imperial China. The Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) was one of the great ages of Chinese ceramic production, and the tomb assemblages of the period — designed to furnish the deceased with everything needed for a comfortable and protected afterlife — included a remarkable range of figural vessels, mingqi (spirit objects), and architectural models.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe owl held particular symbolic resonance in early Chinese culture. Associated with vigilance, the boundary between night and day, and the liminal threshold between the living and the dead, owl imagery in funerary contexts carried apotropaic and guardianship associations — the owl as protector of the tomb and guide of the soul. Pairs of such vessels, conceived as complementary objects, reinforced these protective functions through their symmetry and balance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrey pottery of the Western Han period — wheel-thrown or hand-modeled, fired at relatively low temperatures, and often decorated with painted pigments applied after firing — represents one of the most characteristic and collectible ceramic traditions of early imperial China. Major Han dynasty ceramic works are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Palace Museum in Beijing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eArtwork Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCulture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Chinese, Western Han Dynasty\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Western Han\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 206 BCE – 9 CE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Painted grey pottery\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeight (each):\u003c\/strong\u003e 8⅜ in (21.3 cm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuantity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pair of two vessels\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProvenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eProperty from the Collection of David and Beverly Hall Billings, Nantucket, Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCondition\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSurface wear and abrasions with scattered minor chips, consistent with age and archaeological ceramic material. Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chinese","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53225622208879,"sku":null,"price":7500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/6967\/5375\/files\/s-l1600-132.jpg?v=1784476564"},{"product_id":"ancient-han-dynasty-painted-grey-pottery-recumbent-horse-china-206-bce-220-ce","title":"Ancient Han Dynasty Painted Grey Pottery Recumbent Horse – China, 206 BCE – 220 CE","description":"\u003cp\u003eA finely molded Chinese painted grey pottery figure of a recumbent horse, dating to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), from the distinguished David and Beverly Hall Billings Collection, Nantucket, Massachusetts. This example is \u003cstrong\u003eillustrated in \u003cem\u003ePassion and Pursuit: The Billings Collection\u003c\/em\u003e (The Ming Press, 2022)\u003c\/strong\u003e — the definitive catalogue of one of America’s most respected private collections of Asian art — on page 21, providing exceptional published provenance documentation of the highest order.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe figure is expertly modeled with stylized facial features including pronounced cheekbones, protruding eyes, and flared nostrils over an open mouth, demonstrating the expressive vitality characteristic of Han ceramic horses at their finest. The underside exhibits four rectangular apertures for the legs, while the head has two round apertures for the ears and an additional aperture for the tail — reflecting the practical and sophisticated mold design of the period. At 18 inches in length, this is a substantial and commanding work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHan Dynasty Horses \u0026amp; Their Significance\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe horse occupied a position of extraordinary cultural, military, and symbolic importance in Han dynasty China. The Han emperors’ campaigns to secure the “heavenly horses” of Central Asia — larger and more powerful than the native Chinese breeds — were among the defining military and diplomatic enterprises of the dynasty, and the horse became one of the central symbols of imperial power, status, and ambition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the funerary arts of the Han period, pottery horses served as essential companions for the deceased in the afterlife — status emblems that proclaimed the wealth and rank of the tomb’s occupant and provided the means for a comfortable and well-appointed existence beyond death. Han ceramic horses are among the most iconic and sought-after works in the entire field of Chinese antiquities, and major examples are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Palace Museum in Beijing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Billings Collection, assembled over decades by David and Beverly Hall Billings of Nantucket, Massachusetts, is widely regarded as one of the finest private collections of Asian art in the United States. Its publication in \u003cem\u003ePassion and Pursuit\u003c\/em\u003e (The Ming Press, 2022) provides this work with the kind of rigorous scholarly documentation that serious collectors and institutions prize above all else.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eArtwork Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCulture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Chinese, Han Dynasty\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Han Dynasty\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 206 BCE – 220 CE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Painted grey pottery\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength:\u003c\/strong\u003e 18 in (45.7 cm)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProvenance \u0026amp; Publication\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eProperty from the Collection of David and Beverly Hall Billings, Nantucket, Massachusetts.\u003cbr\u003eIllustrated in: Hyland, R. M., Alice, \u003cem\u003ePassion and Pursuit: The Billings Collection\u003c\/em\u003e (Nantucket: The Ming Press, 2022), p. 21.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCondition\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverall consistent with age and archaeological terracotta; minor surface wear and expected losses appropriate to its age. Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chinese","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53225623224687,"sku":null,"price":1000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/6967\/5375\/files\/s-l1600-139.jpg?v=1784476835"},{"product_id":"large-ancient-chinese-han-dynasty-polychrome-tomb-attendant-mingqi-figure-206-bce-220-ce","title":"Large Ancient Chinese Han Dynasty Polychrome Tomb Attendant – Mingqi Figure, 206 BCE – 220 CE","description":"\u003cp\u003eA finely modeled and large-scale pottery figure from China, Han Dynasty, dating to approximately 206 BCE – 220 CE. Standing 18 inches in height, this is a commanding and museum-quality example of a \u003cem\u003emingqi\u003c\/em\u003e (明器, “spirit utensil”) — an object created specifically to accompany a deceased individual of high status into the afterlife, ensuring that the comforts and social order of the living world would be replicated in the realm of the dead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe figure depicts a female attendant standing with hands clasped at the waist, concealed beneath flowing, billowing sleeves, and dressed in long, flared robes that sweep to the ground in elegant folds. The modeling demonstrates the Han artisan’s skill in conveying clothing, posture, and social identity within a funerary context — the figure’s composed bearing and formal dress marking her as a member of a well-ordered household staff. The surface retains strong traces of blue and white polychrome pigments, with earthen and mineral deposits consistent with long-term burial and authentic archaeological age.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eMingqi \u0026amp; Han Dynasty Funerary Practice\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003emingqi\u003c\/em\u003e tradition is one of the most important and historically significant aspects of Chinese funerary art. By the Han Dynasty, the earlier practice of human sacrifice — in which servants and retainers were killed to accompany their masters in death — had been largely replaced by the burial of clay models representing the full range of individuals who would be needed to maintain a proper household in the afterlife: servants, warriors, entertainers, musicians, cooks, and attendants of every kind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHan tomb assemblages were carefully organized to reflect the social hierarchy of the living world, with the number, quality, and variety of \u003cem\u003emingqi\u003c\/em\u003e figures serving as direct indicators of the wealth and status of the deceased. Female attendant figures such as this — standing, formally dressed, with hands concealed in a gesture of respectful readiness — are among the most characteristic and sought-after subjects in Han funerary ceramics. Their combination of formal elegance, expressive modeling, and surviving polychrome decoration makes them among the most visually compelling works in the entire field of Chinese antiquities.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt 18 inches, this figure is large for the type and would have been a significant element of its original tomb assemblage. Major Han \u003cem\u003emingqi\u003c\/em\u003e figures are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Palace Museum in Beijing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eArtwork Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCulture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Chinese, Han Dynasty\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Han Dynasty\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 206 BCE – 220 CE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Painted pottery with polychrome pigments\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7.5 in (19 cm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 in (10.2 cm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 18 in (45.7 cm)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProvenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrivate Owen collection, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA; acquired in the 1990s from a US-based dealer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCondition\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRepaired at the waist with visible break line. Surface chips and pigment fading, but overall strong remaining traces of blue and white polychrome color. Earthen and mineral deposits present on the surface, consistent with age and archaeological ceramic material. Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chinese","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53225623716207,"sku":null,"price":3000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/6967\/5375\/files\/s-l1600-90.png?v=1784477103"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.lybrothersfineart.com\/collections\/han-dynasty.oembed","provider":"L\/Y Brothers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}