These impressive columns are funerary stelae, pertaining to the burial place of an elite member of society during the Qing dynasty. They are made of discrete moulded vertical funnel blocks, stacked upon each other and a base in the shape of a Fu-dog (lion). Each bears a line in cursive script which reads as follows: "there are flowers and lights that at night (would) light themselves (...), spring would often stay with no moon or bird". They would originally have supported a lintel with an additional inscription, acting as a gateway into the tomb.The Qing Dynasty was founded in Manchuria in 1644, following the decline of the M’ing Dynasty. The rulers of the Manchu Dynasty – as it became known – were not indigenous Chinese, but were descended from the Jurchens, natives of eastern Russia and the steppe region. The formation of the Qing was preceded by a grey area known as the Later Jin period, as a minor leader named Nurhaci escalated a series of minor tribal squabbles into unification and eventually all-out war with the then rulers of the Chinese state. He moved his capital to be closer to the Mongols, with whom he formed alliances; he thus protected himself from attack on that border, exploited their superb archers, and further expanded his power base against the M’ing. His son (Hung Taiji) succeeded him as Khan, and following a rather erratic start monopolised on his father’s successes to crush Ming forces in a series of battles from 1640 to 1642 for the territories of Songshan and Jingzhou. He died in 1643, passing the new title of emperor to his 5-year-old son, Fulin. The last M’ing emperor – Chongzhen – committed suicide as Beijing fell to rebel forces, which then fought the Qing for control. Fulin – renamed emperor Shunzhi – was placed on the throne as the Son of Heaven, although it was not until the 1680’s that all of China was united under the Manchu banner.The Manchu Dynasty lasted for about 350 years, and only crumbled with the definitive end of imperial China and the hands of the Xinhai revolution in 1912. During this time, China became highly internalised, with notable stratification of social classes and suppression of ethnic diversity (including the forced wearing of a queue). The arts of this period are among the most ornate and studied of China’s long history, and artists were a major part of court life. They were particularly well known for their naturalistic painting, calligraphy, printing and reissuing of (censored) works by classical authors. The influence of western art – brought by traders – infiltrated various areas of Qing art in the 18th century, especially in painting and architecture (i.e. the Summer Palace). Ceramics for export – notably at the Jingdezhen porcelain kilns – became a major avenue of expression in the later periods, and were the main source of Europe’s 18th century mania for Chinoiserie. Imperial and court arts are perhaps the most valuable and rare, however. Art was used to configure one’s status within the court environment, and this applied in death as well as life. Pieces such as this would have been extortionately expensive at the time, and would have been made for a very prominent member of a royal court. They are an imposing reminder of China’s imperial might, and would be a superb addition to any discerning collection.- (LA.574 (LSO))

Antiquities
Ancient Asian