Lot 159
A Green-Glazed Three Tier Pottery Tower, Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220)
Lot 159 Details
A Green-Glazed Three Tier Pottery Tower, Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220)
Potted in three separate tiers, the largest providing the foundation and the further two storeys descending in size, each with an overhanging tile roof, the larger two supported by corbels and set with decorative florets, each storey with a series of windows, some ajar to reveal the space within, glazed over the surface in pale tones of iridescent green
height 39 in — 106.7 cm
Old Sotheby’s New York tag, lot 43
Estimate $4,000-$6,000
Additional Images
Note:
During the Han Dynasty, burials commonly included tomb pottery. The pieces were miniature versions of elements that one would require in the afterlife, such as animals, oil lamps, housing, and joyful figures such as musicians and dancers. These symbolic items not only provide insight into Han burial traditions and their cultural attitude towards death and the afterlife, but offer visual evidence of architectural styles, and the design of tools and implements. As many of these elements would have been crafted of wood that has long since deteriorated, these miniature, three-dimensional pottery replicas provide valuable insight into the aesthetic of daily life in the Han Dynasty.
A similar example sold at Christie’s New York, March 21, 2000, lot 246