Dating from the Chinese Song Dynasty (960 - 1127 A.D.), this rare terracotta tile displays a mythological scene of a grotesque man holding a spear and riding a fierce, leaping tiger.

These beautiful decorated terracotta tiles were used to adorn the roofs and facades of temples, palaces, and wealthy households. They were a sign of wealth and status, and their elaborate designs often served to convey symbolic or auspicious meanings, as we see in this piece.

In traditional Chinese culture, the tiger is one of the most significant symbols, dating back to ancient times, and being viewed as brave, powerful, and ferocious animals. In ancient Chinese mythology, the tiger is one of the four sacred animals representing the cardinal directions - the tiger representing the West and the autumn season.

This particular example of ancient Chinese art is over 30cm wide, and is mounted on a plinth of aged oak and textured steel.

The tile has been repaired.

ANCIENT CHINESE SONG TILE OF LEAPING TIGER

£295.00

Acquired by Timeless on the UK antiquities market, 2022. Formerly part of a private collection of Chinese art formed in Japan in the 1990s
Our fossils and artefacts are selected with great care.

With over 25 years' experience in collecting ancient wonders, we source all of our items from well known specialist dealers, antiquities auction houses and private collections - never from a certain well-known online auction site!

People have been fabricating artefacts for a very long time - even the Romans faked ancient Greek antiquities. With this in mind, Timeless Galleries undertakes a rigorous process to ensure that everything we offer for sale is authentic and genuine:

Certain 'breeds' of antiquity offered for sale on the internet are almost all fake, for example: Luristan Bronze Age artefacts (often described as 'Persian' or 'Western Asiatic') were manufactured wholesale in the 1920's. Roman zoomorphic brooches are being produced en masse in Eastern Europe and sold on auction sites for a few pounds each. Similarly, the market is awash with fake Danish neolithic flint tools. While authentic examples of these breeds of antiquity exist, it is safer to avoid them completely, and Timeless Galleries will never offer them for sale.

We always ensure that our network of suppliers are members of either BADA (British Antiques Dealers Association), ADA (Antiquities Dealers Association) or LAPADA (The Association of Art and Antiques Dealers).

On occasion, should we feel an item is suspicious, we have several associate experts on hand to verify (or reject) the item. Any fake item that slips through our buyer's net is destroyed.

The identification of fake artefacts is an arms race - Timeless Galleries works very hard to guarantee authenticity of our artefacts and fossils. However, if you feel that your item has a spurious provenance, we offer a lifetime return and refund policy for every purchase.
Context

Every fossil and antiquity in the Timeless collection is provided with contextual information on the back of the frame. This typically includes the history of the item, its provenance, a labelled diagram or picture, and any other information pertinent to the artefact.

Preservation

All of the fossils and antiquities available in the Timeless Galleries are unique and irreplaceable. We believe that an artefact that has managed to survive for hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years should not be damaged during the mounting process.

For this reason, many of our mounting techniques are visible on close inspection. For example, the artefact will be mounted using thread rather than a strong glue. If it is not possible to mount with thread, then an inert silicon glue will be used.

As we avoid the use of strong glues, artefacts which are dispatched via post may become loose in transit. If this is the case, Timeless will pay for the return, remounting and repostage of the item.

FAQ

ANCIENT CHINESE SONG TILE OF LEAPING TIGER

Provenance

UK Export Licence

Guarantee of Authenticity

Context and Preservation

FAQ