3 Northern Song Dynasty Painted Ceramic Tomb Bricks

China, Northern Song Dynasty, ca. 960–1127 CE. A set of three painted ceramic tomb bricks or tiles, molded in relief with the figures of court attendants or servants, each clad in formal robes and holding an offering tray. The figures wear tall headdresses and long belted tunics, rendered in red and pale pigments still visible against the buff earthenware surface. Each brick would have formed part of a larger tomb wall tableau, assembled to represent a scene from the deceased's earthly life or to serve them symbolically in the afterlife. The modeling, flattened profile, and incised garment lines are characteristic of Northern Song funerary aesthetics, which favored dignified restraint and courtly realism over the exuberance of earlier Han or Tang traditions. Size of each brick: 12" W x 21.25" H (30.5 cm x 54 cm) Tomb bricks such as this often lined the burial chambers of elite or high-status individuals, and figures like this one served as guardians, servants, or ritual participants, ensuring abundance and propriety in the spirit world. Interestingly, each brock clearly shows the handprint of the maker - almost as if a maker's mark. The bricks were formed by hand, taking wet clay and pushing it into a reusable mold. Item # 195110

Estimate:$550

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