The Liao Collection comprises funerary gold of the Khitan empire, produced for the Liao aristocracy during the dynasty's centuries of dominance over northern China and the Inner Asian steppe. At its greatest extent the Liao empire controlled the largest territory of any polity in East Asia, and its material culture reflects a synthesis of nomadic and sedentary traditions with few precedents in the region.
Khitan burial practice centered on elaborate interment with personal regalia — gold and silver objects placed on the body of the deceased, including items made expressly for burial and others drawn from life. The resulting corpus of Liao funerary gold is distinguished by its fluid animal forms, its technical mastery of filigree and repoussé, and its pointed departure from contemporaneous Song Chinese aesthetics. These are objects that record a civilization on its own terms: nomadic in origin, cosmopolitan in reach, and possessed of a material vocabulary unlike anything produced by the sedentary dynasties it bordered.
Comporable holdings of Liao funerary material are exceptionally rare, even among major institutions. The pieces represented by Immortal Art & Antiquities are a select group of precious metal burial objects. Full details and authentication documentation are available to qualified parties upon inquiry.