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The enamel painted designs on the front of this Yixing teapot have recognizable symbols relating to a wish for long and healthy life. This scene from the Peking opera Romance of Three Kingdoms romanticizes historical Han dynasty Three Kingdoms period events and includes symbolic images of the two bowing men on the left holding brooms…
During the Song Dynasty earthenware unglazed brick tiles made using a mould were produced to decorate inner chamber walls of tombs and government and public buildings. Used as funerary decorations to wish the deceased happiness and comfort in their afterlife, these Song Brick Tiles are another example of a mingqi ancestral item. Without knowledge of…
Ink is produced in hard sticks in China and is ground up on an inkstone with the addition of water. Along with paper, ink stones, and brushes, ink is regarded as one of the Four Treasures of Literary Study which were part of scholar’s accouterments (Welch, p. 264). Red ink is used for Chinese chops…
Although most famous for Christian burials, people of all religions were interred in the catacombs due to a shortage of land and demand for burial space after a switch from cremations to underground burials in the 2nd century A.D. Roman made closed earthenware terracotta lamps became the dominant oil lamp style in the Roman world…
The Chinese Republic (1912-1949) was established after the downfall of Qing Dynasty and imperial kilns were taken over by private porcelain production complexes that preserved the late Qing quality and integrated Western influences while creating stylistic advances, a colorful aesthetic, and unique shapes and styles. Republic Period and later 20th-century porcelains are recognized for their…
After the Qing dynasty fell in 1912 and was replaced with the Chinese Republic, porcelain production declined in imperial kilns but was revived in Southern China’s Jiangxi Province which made high-quality finely designed Chinese-Republic porcelains in private kilns. With few restraints, they produced more colorful pieces with unique Western shapes and styles. These late Qing,…
The Song dynasty (960–1279) is considered the most culturally brilliant era in later imperial Chinese history. A massive expansion during this dynasty produced government, public and religious buildings and tombs with walls decorated with earthenware unglazed mold-made brick tiles. Some were purely decorative and others were wishes for happiness and comfort in the deceased’s afterlife called…
The Song dynasty (960–1279) is considered the most culturally brilliant era in later imperial Chinese history. A massive expansion during this dynasty produced government, public and religious buildings and tombs with walls decorated with earthenware unglazed mold-made brick tiles. Some were purely decorative and others were wishes for happiness and comfort in the deceased’s afterlife…
The Song dynasty (960–1279) is considered the most culturally brilliant era in later imperial Chinese history. A massive expansion during this dynasty produced government, public and religious buildings and tombs with walls decorated with earthenware unglazed mold-made brick tiles. Some were purely decorative and others were wishes for happiness and comfort in the deceased’s afterlife…
Chinese funerary tiles, as forms of mingqi adorned tomb as early as the Han dynasty depicting everyday scenes, entertainment, mythical beasts, folklore, history, literature and poetry. A Han stone tomb relief rubbing in Stories from China’s Past (p. 173) labeled “Ascending to Heaven in Deer Chariot” is reflective of this Song brick-tile. During the Song…
During the Song dynasty, mold made unglazed earthenware brick tiles decorated the doors and walls of the government, private religious buildings as well as the doors and tomb walls of the rich used as funerary decorations (mingqi) to wish the deceased happiness and comfort in their afterlife. This thin brick presents two images. The figure…
As is common in Chinese Republic porcelain figurines, this aristocratic female holds a rose called the “flower of eternal spring or youth,” an auspicious symbol of longevity and long life. As they bloom almost monthly, they are also called “monthly rose” (yueji), a pun or homophone for “four seasons” (siji) or “year-round” because of the character…
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