Lot 501.  An impressed gray pottery 'heavenly horse, phoenix, and tiger' tomb tile, Western Han dynasty. Length 114 cm; Height 48cm; Depth 15 cm. Lot Sold 10,880 USD (Estimate 3,000 - 5,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.
Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).
Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession no. 1925.107.049).

Note : Bricks of this type, characterized by relatively plain fields framed by a diaper border and animated by a small number of lively impressed motifs, are often referred to as the ‘Luoyang style’ in modern scholarship. Compared with the more densely patterned stamped bricks attributed to regions such as Zhengzhou or Shaanxi, Luoyang examples tend to emphasize clarity of composition and dynamic figural imagery, often featuring auspicious creatures such as horses, tigers, and phoenixes that evoke the intersection between the natural and supernatural realms within Han funerary belief.

Tiles of this type were produced using a mold-impression technique, in which carved wooden stamps bearing the desired imagery were pressed onto the surface of soft clay prior to firing. As described by Chen Shen and Chanfei Xu in Impressions on Clay: pictorial hollow-brick tomb tiles from western Han Luoyang (2nd century BC), Beijing, 2024, p.337, craftsmen first prepared a wooden mold with the pictorial design and then impressed it onto the damp clay body much like applying a seal impression. This process allowed for both repetition and subtle variation, preserving the immediacy of the carved design while enabling efficient production for large architectural surfaces within tomb chambers.

The iconography reflects themes common in Han funerary art, where creatures of the earthly and celestial worlds appear together as auspicious emblems and symbolic guardians. Horses were often associated with power, mobility, and the expanding horizons of the Han empire, while the phoenix signified harmony and cosmic order. The tiger, increasingly prominent in Han visual culture, functioned as a protective creature capable of warding off malevolent forces. Combined on a single tile, these motifs articulate the Han conception of the tomb as a liminal space linking the human world with the cosmic domain. Compare with a closely related example preserved in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, illustrated ibid., pp 220-221.

The present tile forms part of the celebrated group of Han dynasty tomb bricks formerly preserved in the Art Institute of Chicago, assembled in the early twentieth century through the patronage of the Buckingham family. Acquired before 1925 from the renowned dealers Yamanaka & Co., the bricks were collected by Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937), whose eclectic taste and philanthropy greatly enriched the museum’s holdings. Preserved for nearly a century in this major institutional collection, the group represents one of the most significant surviving assemblies of Han impressed tomb bricks outside China.

Lot 502.  An impressed gray pottery 'horse and phoenix' tomb tile, Western Han dynasty. Length 117 cm; Height 46 cm; Depth 13 cm. Lot Sold 14,080 USD (Estimate 3,000 - 5,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.
Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).
Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession no. 1925.107.018).

Lot 503.  An impressed gray pottery tomb tile, Western Han dynasty. Length 138.5 cm; Height 48.5 cm; Depth 14 cm. Lot Sold 35,840 USD (Estimate 5,000 - 7,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.
Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).
Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession no. 1925.107.096).

Literature: Wanda Odell, 'Chinese Tomb Tiles', Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago, vol. 36, no. 4, 1942, p. 55, fig. 5.
Pamela B. Vandiver, 'Han Dynasty Hollow Mortuary Bricks from Northern China in the Collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Part II: Technological Study', figs 4b and k.

Note: The present tomb tile belongs to a group, often referred to as the Zhengzhou style, characterized by densely patterned surfaces created through repeated mold impressions. Such tiles were produced using carved wooden stamps pressed into damp clay prior to firing, a technique that allowed craftsmen to replicate complex decorative fields with remarkable precision.

The most prominent decorative elements are the masks (pushou), fearsome zoomorphic faces derived from bronze door knockers and handles that frequently appear in Han funerary contexts. Associated with thresholds and gateways, these masks function symbolically as guardians, protecting the tomb and marking the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead. Accompanying the masks are the tiered watchtowers (que), architectural forms frequently associated with gateways and transitional spaces in Han funerary imagery. In tomb contexts, watchtowers are thought to symbolize key points along the soul’s journey after death, marking passages between the earthly realm and the celestial landscape often associated with Mount Kunlun, the mythical abode of immortals. When combined with protective motifs such as masks and scenes of pursuit or hunting, these towers may also evoke guardianship and vigilance, reinforcing the role of the tomb as a protected threshold between worlds.

Compare a related example with 'mask and chariot' motifs, formerly in the Collection of Ralph (1855–1926) and Fanny Tewksbury (1867–1949) King, now preserved in the Cleveland Museum of Art, illustrated on the museum's website (accession no. 1915.73).

Lot 504.  An impressed gray pottery 'mask' tomb tile, Western Han dynasty. Length 42 cm; Height 97,4 cm; Depth 14,4 cm. Lot Sold 19,200 USD (Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.
Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).
Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession no. 1925.107.030).

Literature: Wanda Odell, 'Chinese Tomb Tiles', Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago, vol. 36, no. 4, 1942, p. 54, fig. 1.

Lot 505.  A group of four impressed gray pottery tomb tiles, Western Han dynasty. Length of largest 97.1 cm; Height 43 cm; Depth 14 cm. Lot Sold 12,800 USD (Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.

Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).

Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession nosu 1925.107.046, 1925.107.050, 1925.107.058 and 1925.107.102).

Lot 506.  An impressed gray pottery 'mask and birds' tomb tile, Western Han dynasty. Length 51 cm; Height 125.8 cm; Depth 13.6 cm. Lot Sold 16,640 USD (Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.

Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).

Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession no. 1925.107.026). 

Lot 507.  A group of four impressed gray pottery tomb tiles, Western Han dynasty. Length of largest 114.5 cm; Height 45.6 cm; Depth 13 cm. Lot Sold 38,400 USD (Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.

Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).

Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession nos 1925.107.040, 1925.107.042 and 1925.107.062).u

Literature : one with 'tiger': Pamela B. Vandiver, 'Han Dynasty Hollow Mortuary Bricks from Northern China in the Collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Part II: Technological Study', figs 4e, f, and g.

one with 'watchtower and wave': Charles Fabens Kelley, 'Terra Cotta Tiles in the Buckingham Collection', Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago, vol. 19, no. 6, 1925, p. 70, fig. 6.

Lot 508.  An impressed gray pottery 'mask and birds' tomb tile, Western Han dynasty. Length 134 cm; Height 60 cm; Depth 16 cm. Lot Sold 17,920 USD (Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.

Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).

Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession no. 1925.107.038). 

Lot 509.  An impressed gray pottery 'mask' tomb tile, Western Han dynasty. Length 54.8 cm; Height 121 cm; Depth 14.7 cm. Lot Sold 8,960 USD (Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.

Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).

Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession no. 1925.107.044). 

Literature : Charles Fabens Kelley, 'Terra Cotta Tiles in the Buckingham Collection', Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago, vol. 19, no. 6, 1925, p. 69, fig. 3.

Lot 510.  A group of four impressed gray pottery tomb tiles, Western Han dynasty. Length of largest 115 cm; Height 47 cm; Depth 13.5 cm. Lot Sold 15,360 USD (Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.

Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).

Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession nos 1925.107.008, 1925.107.053, 1925.107.063 and 1925.107.070.)

Lot 511.  A group of four impressed gray pottery tomb tiles, Western Han dynasty. Length of largest 116 cm; Height 42 cm; Depth 14 cm. Lot Sold 19,200 USD (Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 USD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company.

Collection of Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937).

Gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, in memory of her sister Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in February 1925 (accession nos 1925.107.054, 1925.107.055, 1925.107.061 and 1925.107.068.)