Featured Three porcelain figures, need help

H E L L O M Y F R I E N D S

I have sincerely miss everyone(some more than others ). I have had some medical issues that have temporarily kept me distracted from my normal days, but all is well and I am getting back to my old self(not so sure that is a good thing). I have from time to time stalked the board and enjoyed the usual banter along with some nice finds you all share. It always put a smile on my face. Hope all is well for everyone and best wishes to all.

I havent been looking for new items at all during my hiatus, well that is up until today, if not by it being completly accidental. I was visiting an old friend/customers store. He sells vacuums and all accessories that go with that. He wanted to put my products in his store. Well when I got there he was busy with one customer after another(literally for 20min.), so I wandered around and checked out his stuff when I came across these shadow boxes with chinese porcelain wall figurines. Blah blah blah, making a long story short, he bought them at a San Francisco exhibition early 80’s and wanted to sell them. They look like a real fish out of water in a vacuum store. So I bartered my stuff for his.

They are all about 10” tall. He said the oriental man that sold them to him only stated that their purpose were to hang outside the homes entry way(not sure if true or not)

I believe the first picture below is Guan Gong(without his famous broad swored generally always seen with) from the Han Dynasty, but I am clueless as to the other figures idenity. I have no idea how to start a reseach on these as they seem very vague in wording. As always any information, observations, authenticity and/or directions as to age or proper searchable words to help get accurate information is invaluable to me. They truely look so old but dang, I have been fooled before.

Sorry for the poor images, took them as soon as I came home and there are a lot of reflections. I will get better ones soon if anyone thinks they are worthy.


Missed you all...


[update] is the second image a woman, that of being his wife? No facial hair?

 

Welcome back. Hope you are feeling better.

We have some new members who seem to know more about Chinese and Japanese. They have proved to be quite helpful

@lpan9 @Silver Wolf @JayBee

 

Wow. Those are very nice. I don't have a clue but I see why you wanted them. Lovely detail.

 

So glad your feeling better ! I wonder if they are some sort of roof decoration?

 

They’re commonly sold as “roof tiles”, I believe a real roof tile would have a base to accommodate mounting to the crest of a tiled roof. These still sell really well especially for less common figures.
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/search/?keyword=Chinese roof tile&sort=-hammerPrice&status=archive

 

Thank you for this information, searching it, I now find many, but they look so much newer(cleaned up?). But without a doubt they look like all the roof tiles. Being in the shadow box I do not have a great view all around but I can see that the heads are not completed 3D figures and the bottoms of the shoes do not seem to have ever been attached to anything. Did they make this type tile for walls too?

 

at first i think it could be part of roof tiles,but i do little research and i think he isn't guanyu / guan gong,but they are called Men Shen - Gods of The Door/gate ,usually they appear in pair,i have some images that represent them,if my assume was right,then maybe the original owner was right they're used to be placed in the gate or door or fence wall near the door as a protection/decoration purpose

 

Sorry Double Post

 

some roof tiles i found do not seem to be "flat" at the bottom:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/21321798208389343/

i think the first 2 are warrior figures and the 3rd is a scholar. i think yours are really nice

 

Silver, you are totally Gold Men Shen! thank you very much for your research it is giving me so much more to find on these. The hands look as though they use to hold such as a weapon.

Thank you too PH, I am believing that Silver Wolf got the two figures correct as Men Shen but the horse and rider does lean to the roof tile as I see many similar now.

Can anyone take a guess as to the period? 1900’s 1800’s. I will open a box and get better images if needed?


Also a big thanks to all the likes, compliments on them and good wishes

 

you're welcome marco.yes,it looks like they are missing the weapons i guess they are not younger than 19th century,and it could be 18th century too,nice find!

 

Welcome back Marco, and with such a gorgeous find!
Hope your medical issues are gone and you are feeling better. I am glad you are up and about and enjoying going to the hoover store, which as you now know is the perfect place to find these gorgeous little guys.
I think we need a new hoover...

I think S Wolf could be right about them being Men Shen. If you can get them safely out of the box I would love to know what the backs look like. If there is any indication that they were fixed to a gate or door.
It is difficult to say anything about the age, with all that dirt. As you know, dirt on Chinese items isn't always a sign of age.
But whatever the age, they are beautifully made and so very attractive. A lot of craftsmanship and artistry went into making these, just imagine how many were made to get one perfect figurine. And I love the realistic faces of the first two, those expressions, wow.

The rooftile idea, could be. I only know the Imperial roof decorations, used in Imperial times for official buildings and temples. But those are of a fixed type of figures in precise order. As far as I know they are mythical creatures headed by a man on a bird, the last one of the creatures is a dragon.
Here is some info on them:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_roof_decoration

You can never post enough, S Wolf, your post before this one was wonderful.

About the roof decorations, in Dutch we call them 'dakruiters' which means roof riders, to distinguish them from the usual roof tiles.
Many here are actual riders, like this replica of a 14th century one:

 

Literally, laughed out loud. Thank you

... and thank you for your nice comments. I have been a good student
I am considering opening a box an thinking of attempting to clean with a mild soap and water. Is this something I shouldn’t do myself?

Amazing what goes into Chinese roof tops.
Here is a link 屋顶上的瓷雕 (hmmmm? You need to copy and paste this into your brousers address bar to get it for some reason)
than (Click on images)


PS, so nice to see you still sporting your mysteriously mask side of her personality. Best avatar ever

Missed you.

 

i just knew the dutch have their own version of roof tile decoration,nice!

 

Those dang Dutch are notorious for making copies of everything.

 

It would have been very bad manners to remove the mask you gave her the minute your back was turned, wouldn't it?
Missed you too.

You'd think they were Chinese, wouldn't you. They are often called the Chinese of Europe....
I've seen 'roof riders' in Britain as well, but never in horse rider form.

Wow, even the Peking Opera on the roof:

 

i think the best roof tile decoration is Koji or Chiayi pottery,it is a taiwan made,it has bright and colourful,love it!

 

such amazing stuff they can do with plain coloured bowls, no?
in penang, we have to get artisans from china if we needed any work done on our special roofs

roof tile work on the Khoo Kongsi, Penang