A hollow-formed bronze head of a middle-aged man with tousled hair, stern features, pursed mouth; mounted on a custom-made stand. 5.4 kg total, 39 cm high including stand

French collection, 1960s-early 2000s.
From an important Paris gallery, France.

A Greek style marble archaic kouros statue carved with braided hair held by a diadem, arms held straight at the sides, legs in advancing pose. 16.5 kg, 71 cm high

French collection, 1960s-early 2000s.
From an important Paris gallery, France.

The kouros (free-standing nude male youth) first appeared in ancient Greece in the Archaic Greek period; kouros figures have been found across the Greek-speaking world, concentrated mainly in sanctuaries of Apollo. The term means ‘male youth, particularly one of noble rank’; when a pubescent boy came of age in ancient Greece, he was known as a kouros, at which point he could participate in the initiation feast of the brotherhood. The god Apollo was known as the greatest kouros. Typically life-sized, these figures were produced in marble, but have also been found in limestone, wood, bronze and terracotta. The female counterpart is the kore.

A bronze torso of a draped Greek style female figure rendered with naturalistic detailing in the round; hollow; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 32.2 kg total, 78 cm high including stand

French collection, 1960s-early 2000s.
From an important Paris gallery, France.

A marble head carved naturalistically in the round with cropped hair, wearing a taenia headband seemingly featuring Greek key motif; possibly representing a deity, a muse or even a female satyr; mounted on a carved stone base. A marble head carved naturalistically in the round with cropped hair, wearing a taenia headband seemingly featuring Greek key motif; possibly representing a deity, a muse or even a female satyr; mounted on a carved stone base.

with Arts D'Orient, Artcurial, Paris, 19 May 2014, lot 138.
English private collection.

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 1992.11.66, for a comparable sculpture of Roman date, itself modelled on a Greek original; see also accession number 24.97.90, for a 3rd-2nd century B.C. stone head with stylistic similarities.

A large rectangular ceramic tile displaying a scene with the Virgin and Child flanked by musicians over a winged putti head, winged putti flanking a wreath containing an armorial shield below; egg-and-dart border. 14.9 kg, 66 cm high

English private collection.

A pair of ceramic male figures modelled standing in dynamic poses, likely playing a game of cuju, each wearing a floor-length robe and balancing a ball on one foot; one figure leaning forwards with his arms held behind his back, looking down towards the ball balanced on the end of his raised right foot; one figure moving his arms in opposite directions in an attempt to regain his balance, head leaning left, his right leg bent across his body at the knee, balancing a ball on the heel of his foot; each with semi-naturalistic facial features and hair tied in a top knot; extensive remains of polychrome pigmentation. 6.85 kg total, 38.5-42.5 cm high

Ex Hong Kong collection.
London Mayfair gallery, UK.

Accompanied by thermoluminescence analysis report nos. C122k26 and C122k25 from Oxford Authentication.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11697-199217.

See Prodan, M., The Art of the Tang Potter, London, 1960, for similarly styled figures and discussion; see the Fifa Museum online for discussion and historical depictions of the game in various media.

Cuju is the earliest recorded game of football which involved kicking a ball through a net without the use of the hands.

A group of three ceramic musician figurines, each in loose-fitting garments with painted detailing: one cross-legged with a pot, another sitting with a gord, a third standing with a tambour. 1.9 kg total, 16-18 cm

Ex Hong Kong collection.
London Mayfair gallery, UK.

Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.C122k23 from Oxford Authentication for one of the figures.

See Prodan, M., The Art of the Tang Potter, London, 1960, for comparable figures and discussion.

A ceramic horse and rider figure modelled in the round with semi-naturalistic anatomical detailing, the horse standing on a rectangular base, its stocky neck and head slightly turned to the right, ears pricked forwards, cropped mane and short, dressed tail; rider seated in saddle wearing a knee-length robe, hood and riding boots, one arm held in front of his body, the other raised above his head, detailing to his face; remains of polychrome pigmentation; the upper half of the rider's body modelled separately. 1.75 kg, 32 cm high

From the R.M.Hicks OBE private collection, UK.

Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.C106u29 from Oxford Authentication.

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession numbers 54.169 and 1991.253.7a, b, for similar figures.

A symbol of military strength and social status, the horse was ever a potent mythological and symbolic animal in China. During the Tang Dynasty, both polo and hunting from horseback became fashionable for men and women. It was also during the Tang Dynasty period that female court attendants on horses appeared in art and in tomb sculpture. The fruits of China's relationship with the horse include three of the most important innovations in equestrian history: the horse collar, the stirrup and harnesses based on the breast strap. The failure of China's domestic horse breeding programmes forced them to artificially inflate the price of tea (the production of which was controlled by China), so that tea could be traded for horses from their neighbours.

A large ceramic caparisoned horse modelled in a dynamic pose with semi-naturalistic anatomical detailing, finely modelled harness, saddle and bridle with pendants and bells, plume to the mane; standing on a rectangular base; remains of polychrome pigmentation; restored. 13.8 kg, 57 cm wide

Acquired 1980s-1990s.
Ex West Country collection.

Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.C122e86 from Oxford Authentication.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11704-199227.

See Prodan, M., The Art of the Tang Potter, London, 1960, for similar figures and discussion; see Harrist, R.E. Jr., Power and Virtue: The Horse in Chinese Art, New York, 1997, for discussion.

A ceramic horse and female rider figure, modelled in the round on a rhomboidal base; the horse portrayed with semi-naturalistic anatomical detailing, medium-length mane, short tail dressed with a ribbon, its head angled slightly downwards and ears pricked forwards; the female rider modelled seated in a saddle, wearing a knee-length robe and boots, arms held in front of her body, hands held in a gripping position to accept reins (absent), her hair dressed in a top knot, stylised facial features; extensive remains of polychrome pigmentation. 5.1 kg, 45 cm high

Acquired in the 1990s.
From a North Yorkshire private collection, UK.

Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.C122h21 from Oxford Authentication.

Cf. Zhang, B., 'On the Change of the Female Status in the Tang Dynasty from the Horse-riding Tomb Figurine' in Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research (ASSEHR), volume 3002018 International Workshop on Education Reform and Social Sciences, 2018, 2019, pp.589-594, fig.1 no.3.

In Tang art, poetry and painting the horse was exalted. The delight taken in portraying horses became an end in itself. Women were made to mount them, according to the Tang conception, so that the two can be considered together, introducing in China a fashion from Kotan.

A gilt bronze and Khotain moonstone quality jade beaker composed of a slender U-shaped body, bulbous stem and discoid foot, the applied handle formed as the head, neck and legs of a mythical bird, likely a fenghuang, with detailing to the creature's feathers, face, beak and limbs, body formed as the handle loop, wings carved in relief in the jade; the jade vessel body carved in relief with neat rows of volute scrolls, stylised petals in relief around the lower body and foot; some restoration. 709 grams, 14.5 cm high

Acquired from Dandelion Fine Arts, Hollywood Road, Hong Kong, 1970s.
Ex Prof. David Anderson collection.
UK private collection, circa 2010.

Accompanied by a copy of metallurgic analytical results, written by Metallurgist Dr Peter Northover (ex Department of Materials, Materials Science-Based Archaeology Group & Department of Materials, University of Oxford).
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11707-198358.

Khotain jade was available between the years 69 B.C. and 101 A.D. as a result of a military treaty. It was sourced from the White Jade River. This object is believed to be produced for a notable client. The object's original patina, prior to restoration, suggested that the vessel was part of a ritual which involved exposure to intense heat.

A gold decorated bracelet comprising six strands of tightly braided trichinopoly between two rectangular and panels with applied filigree floral motifs within braided filigree borders and with a granule to the centre; larger rectangular hollow-formed sheet-gold fastener with applied filigree motifs and granule, loop closure. 23.80 grams, 16 cm long

with Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 28 July 2021, lot 1121.
Private collection, acquired from the above sale.
Important North West London collection.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11711-199722.