164 - A RARE MOULDED GREY EARTHENWARE TOMB DOORWAY SURROUND

A RARE MOULDED GREY EARTHENWARE TOMB DOORWAY SURROUND China, Liao to Jin Dynasty (10th–13th centuries), H 121 cm. Constructed from multiple molded gray earthenware tiles. The central arched section depicts a seated deity or tomb owner in wide, flowing robes with hands clasped across the chest, flanked by two winged celestial apsaras (feitian) in dynamic flight with billowing drapery and feather-like wings, holding auspicious offerings. The vertical sides feature standing attendants in traditional robes, each positioned above a resting guardian beast. The surfaces retain fine incised details and subtle traces of original cold-painted pigments. Mounted on a wooden display frame. Cracks, breaks, and small losses. Provenance: A private Brazilian collection, Switzerland, acquired in New York in the late 1970s (no documentation available). The iconographic program of this portal assembly directly inherits and transforms an ancient funerary tradition dating back to the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). While Han relief tiles (huaxiangzhuan) originally depicted the Daoist deity Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West) flanked by hybrid, bird-bodied sun and moon spirits (yuren), this imagery evolved significantly during the Northern Dynasties and reached its mature architectural expression during the Liao (907–1125) and Jin (1115–1234) periods. By the Liao/Jin era, these winged celestial beings had transformed into Buddhist/Daoist flying apsaras (feitian) framing a central deity or immortalized tomb owner, rendered in high modular relief as part of a complete architectural entrance (mumen). For related Han dynasty prototypes featuring Xiwangmu and winged deities, see the exhibition catalog *Ancient China: People and Gods in the Middle Kingdom 5000 B.C.–A.D. 220, Kulturstiftung Ruhr Essen, Villa Hügel, June 2–November 5, 1995, Cat. No. 105, pp. 408–411. * The full tax is charged on this item marked *; that is, VAT will be charged on the total amount but refunded to purchasers upon presentation of a validly stamped export declaration. Due to new EU import regulations, it may no longer be possible to import this item after June 28, 2025. If you intend to do so, please contact the department before bidding.