CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, XVIIIEME SIECLE

These figures represent foreign 'barbarians' and are in Central Asian dress. Their hair is long and they have a shaven central pate. They depict the typical foreigner who came to China via the Silk Road from Central Asia. From the Yuan dynasty onwards, there are a number of images of foreigners bringing tribute to all-powerful China, and during the Ming dynasty, bronze vases (including those used for the game of throwing arrows into a vase) and bronze vessels for incense are often supported by two figures of this type. The symbolism here rests in a pun on the character for 'vase' (ping) which sounds the same as that for 'peace' (ping), and suggests that by accepting their tributary status as lesser nations under the protection of China, they carry peace as an offering to the Court.
See an interesting jade snuff bottle depicting the same Central Asian figures holding a vase, from the J & J Collection and sold by Christie's New York, 29 March 2006, lot 37.