The John D. Nichols Collection is now on display. Come and explore the largest exhibit and public sale of ancient Chinese tomb pottery in North America. The exhibit is museum-like in its breadth and presentation, ranging from 4000-year-old Neolithic jars to Ming Dynasty equestrian figures. All pieces are now online with complete photosets, descriptions, and pricing.

About The Collection

The John D. Nichols Collection includes over two hundred pieces of terra cotta pottery and bronzes spanning the period between 2000 BCE and 1000 CE, mostly from archeological sites in Northern China. The pieces are very diverse, including vessels, human figures, animals, architectural models, and ritual objects. All were buried for the afterlife, their locations forgotten over thousands of years. As China developed in the 1990's and early 2000's, large new buildings were erected in the oldest inhabited areas, requiring deep excavations. Many of these construction sites yielded ancient artifacts. Frenzied global interest followed, with excavated pieces first heading to Hong Kong and eventually to collectors in Paris, New York and Chicago. Legal restrictions followed and by 2009, importation to the US was all but banned by treaty. Ancient Chinese pottery is now rarely seen outside of museums.