Chinese Ming Dynasty Large Sancai Glazed Offerants

$2,211.49

A pair of tall, hollow-moulded pottery Ming Dynasty courtly figures. Each figure is similarly decorated in a rich green and yellow glaze, and stands on a raised hexagonal base. They both wear a robe with long sleeves, and stand with an offering held to the front (one a dish, the other a cockerel). The heads are unglazed, and have been separately and individually crafted, perhaps to reflect individuals in the service of the owner. They are loose-fitted into the recess in the neck.

 

Date: Circa 16th century AD
Period: Ming Dynasty
Condition: The figure holding the cockerel broken/repaired at the height of the shins with minor restoration, the other figure with more extensive restoration around the area of the chest. Otherwise complete with rich colouration and some iridescence.

SOLD

Grave goods were an important status symbol in ancient China. A large number of attendants have been found in ancient Chinese tombs, indicating the need for assistance in the afterlife. As in life, attendant figures are depicted standing nearby, waiting to fulfil the desires of the deceased.

The Ming dynasty played host to some of China’s most renowned artistic achievements – famed, of course, for its vases, but also works such as Shen Zhou’s ‘Lofty Mount Lu’. The culture’s artistic explosion can be in part explained by the Ming dynasty’s economic success.

NB. Price is for the pair of figures. Not sold separately.

To discover more about Chinese terracotta statuettes, please visit our relevant blog post: Terracotta Tomb Attendants.

Weight 10 g
Dimensions H 65.5 cm
Country

Culture

Pottery and Porcelain

Glaze

Region

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