Auction introduction: The Middle Ages in Europe were marked by an intricate interweaving of the divine and the human, a contrast to the Chinese Middle Ages where a clear distinction between the spiritual and the secular was evident. In China, the concerns of everyday life were deemed far more significant than religious discourse. Reaching back to the pre-Qin period, the separation between man and the divine—or man and heaven—was not nearly as impermeable. Engagement with the divine realm was possible through ritualistic practices at the altar.The crafting of ritual vessels and the act of prayer were grounded in the belief that the divide between humans and the divine could be bridged by a mere thought—an embodiment of the idea that heartfelt sincerity could evoke a spiritual response. This notion was arguably more tangible and practical than the abstract philosophical pursuit of unity between humanity and the cosmos that later thinkers sought. Ritual acted as a key, unlocking the gates to the heavens, also, reflecting the reality, cast into oracle bones and bronze inscriptions. These complex glyphs and patterns, which today seem inscrutable, were at the time understood by only a select and knowledgeable few. This collection, spanning from the Shang through to the Tang dynasty, is divided into objects used in rituals and those that emulate life, offering us the opportunity to unearth subtle clues to the relationship between ritual and reality.