Priestley & Ferraro Art Dealers in London

ST JAMES'S, U.K. - Dec. 16, 2013 - PRLog -- The gallery specialises in early Chinese art, from the Neolithic period to the early Ming dynasty. Neolithic period pieces may include agate and jades or early pottery as well as items made from organic materials such as bone. From the Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods there are many ritual bronzes, bronze mirrors and weapons, early lacquer, wood and other organic materials. Ceramics are a focus from the Neolithic onwards. These include Han dynasty pottery such as glazed or painted animal figures; Northern Wei and Northern Qi painted pottery, Sui dynasty pottery and stoneware and Tang dynasty painted or glazed and sancai-glazed figures. These are very often in the form of horses or camels and of course the famous Tang dynasty 'fat ladies'. The Tang dynasty is also known for its gold and silver.

The Song period is a particular specialisation and apart from Song dynasty silver and lacquer the gallery has a large collection of pottery, stoneware and early porcelain. Wares from this date include 'classic' wares such as Junyao (blue-glazed Jun wares from Henan province, sometimes with a purple spash), Dingyao (Ding wares, white-glazed, white-bodied ceramics from Hebei province), Longquan celadon (turquoise/green coloured glazes from Zhejiang province), and imperial wares such as Ruyao, Guanyao and Geyao (if chance ever affords the opportunity!) as well as other famous wares such as Yueyao (Yue wares from Zhejiang), Xingyao (fine-bodied Xing wares from Hebei), Yaozhou (green or brown glazed and decorated wares from modern-day Xi'an, Shaanxi), qingbai (also known as yingqing, both terms relating to the blueish-white colour of the glaze from these kilns in Jingdezhen and Hutian, Jiangxi province), Cizhou and Cizhou-type wares, Jianyao (famous for teabowls, located in Fujian province) and Jizhou (Jiangxi province, specialising in wares with in-glaze effects). These are mostly vessels including teabowls, bowls and dishes but also includes many vases and figures. In the later periods dealt with in the gallery, the Yuan and Ming dynasties, furniture and wooden objects are also represented as well as cloisonné enamels and bronze vessels and figures, while ceramics continue to be represented where the Song kilns continued production, such in the case of Longquan celadon. Chinese paintings from the early periods are also a growing interest.