CHANGSHA WARE, RARE LION FIGURINE PILLOW, TANG DYNASTY

This object is a Tang dynasty (8th–9th century) Changsha ware ritual stand, constructed with a sculpted mythical beast—likely a lion or bixie—serving as the base, surmounted by a flat slab. The surface is freely and spontaneously decorated with bird motifs painted in iron-based brown pigment, and the fluid brushwork, pigment bleeding, and asymmetrical composition clearly reflect the distinctive painterly decorative sensibility of Changsha ware. Comparable examples are preserved in the collection of the National Museum of History, Taipei, and the present piece is regarded as a rare example of Tang dynasty Changsha ceramics.

Date : 9th Century
Made in : Hunan province
Size : 9.0cm (Height)
Condition : Excellent
Provenance : Acquired in late 1990s from Hongkong
Reference : 
1) Christies Hongkong 2015 - The Pavillion Sale Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art - Lot 87 (https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5932325)
2) Timothy S.Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology - Changsha Ware

* Changsha Ware

Multiple “wares,” or styles, of pottery were developed during the Tang Dynasty. Many of these wares featured sancai glazing, a distinct color palette of lead glazes brushed, dipped, and poured over the vessel. Sancai glazed pottery used three colors derived from minerals: yellow-brown from iron oxide, green from copper oxide, and white from lead. Rarely, ceramicists included cobalt to create a blue glaze, but it was far too expensive for regular use. Changsha Ware is a classic example of a three-color sancai ware. Yet, it is also a style that revitalized ancient Chinese pottery. It was the first time that ceramicists perfected the underglaze painting technique. Artists decorated their clay bowls, jars, and figurines with colorful paintings and delicate calligraphy which were then protected by a transparent coat of lead glaze.

Changsha Ware was produced with distinct and recognizable designs and motifs. Painted designs often depict flowers, vines, and mountain landscapes. Some painting is simply splotches of color that accentuate stamped and molded clay ornaments. Being sold overseas, Changsha Ware integrated foreign cultural elements with traditional Chinese aesthetic principles.

Changsha Ware varies widely in form. To make sense of this variability, objects are typically classified into functional categories such as bowls, pots, ewers (or jugs), plates, boxes, lamps, pillows, candlesticks, censers, water droppers, mortars, paper weights, tea grinders, and figurines. Examples of these forms can be found below.

References : Timothy S.Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology