Modelled ceramic figures of all periods reflect something of their creator’s, and collector’s, view of the world — whether colourful, plain, romantic, statuesque, sentimental, serious or comic.

In most British home there is a fireplace. Above most fireplaces there is a mantel. piece. And on most mantelpieces there are ornaments, 0ften including a pair or several porcelain or earthenware figures.

Since man first discovered that clay could be formed with his hands, he has made figures and models of people, of animals, of situati0ns and of mythical or contemporary personalities in the world about him. Such figures continue to give glimpses of the human situation in which they were created.

In China

Antique Collector Magazine

Nowhere is this clearer than in the figures taken from the tombs of ancient China. As in most early cultures, it was customary to slaughter a large part of the household retinue upon the death of a prince or emperor: wives, servants, stewards and other retainers, pets, horses and even livestock were expected to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. ‘ This custom was understandably as unpopular as it was wasteful, and by the time of the Qin: (Ch’in) dynasty (221-206 Bc) life-size clay effigies had been substituted for humans.

But even this was very labour-intensive, and during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 221), the burial of much smaller pottery figures became more usual. These funerary ceramics were generally made of a dark grey earthenware which was either left unglazed, covered in a thin white slip and coloured, or covered in a green glaze. Their subject matter is 0ften informal and domestic: a pigsty complete with pigs (which would sell at auction today f0r some £2000-£4000), a miniature oven (£500-£1000) or a cart and driver (£5000 or more) - all relatively inexpensive considering their age. Collectors pay more for those with a green glaze, although prices at the lower end 0f the funerary antiques market have dropped. The same applies to the Tang dynasty tomb sculptures of AD 618-906, which were prepared on a production-line basis: arms, legs, trunks, heads and bases were made in separate moulds, the parts then assembled, smoothed, individually detailed and fired.

Some animal and human figures were left unglazed, others painted or covered in a monochrome or a splashed ‘egg-and-spinach’ glaze. An unglazed Tang figure of a groom will fetch as little as £300-1500; straw-glazed, the same figure might reach £400-£600; and c0vered in splashed yellow and greens, £I000-£5000. The addition of the rarely seen blue to the same figure will boost the price further. Take care with the cheaper, unglazed pottery figures, though. They can easily be forged using moulds taken from a genuine piece and then ‘distressed’ to make them look older. The commonest methods 0f ageing include snapping off the head, arms and legs and then gluing them back on, and encrusting the figure with yellow tomb earth saved from the bellies of genuine Tang horses. Glazed figures are less easy to forge.

The later Ming (1368-1644) tomb figures, including human beings, chairs, tables and domestic altars, frequently appear at auction decorated with glazes of yellow, green, purple and turquoise-blue. These attractive models give a vivid insight into the furnishings of the time, and individual pieces may be bought for between £200 and £2000.

Religious Subjects

Human and animal figures for purposes other than funerary offerings, and dating from the same period, include Buddhist statues made in celadon ware. Their often unglazed terracotta hands and faces are in vivid contrast to the rich green celadon glaze on the rest of the body. The price of a single piece depends on the quality of the glaze and complexity of modelling, but ranges from £500 to £20,000. Exquisite figures of the Bodhisattvas (Buddhist deities) — in particular of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy — were produced in `blanc-de-Chine’ porcelain in the late 17th century. The figures were made of a paste which, at its best, has the density and appearance of ivory. Some of these blanc-de‑Chine figures also have a potter’s mark impressed on the back. A few were painted upon arrival in Europe. Prices for blanc-de-Chine figures vary tremendously, depending upon factors such as quality, size, condition and date. Collectors may pay as much as £20,000 for a superbly sculpted Bodhisattva, but only £200-£800 for an unexceptional 18th-century figure of Guanyin, 9-12 in (23-30 cm) high. Figures from the late 17th and 18th centuries tend to be more solid than 19th-century pieces, while examples made during the l0th century show less delicate modelling and less subtle glazing.

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