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Details
LOT 2281
Chinese Tang Terracotta Rhinoceros
TANG DYNASTY, 618-907 A.D.
20 3/4 in. (5.54 kg, 53 cm long).
A large figure showing the beast in an alert pose with raised head, flaring nostrils and pricked ears, the folds on the body indicated in red pigment; tail repaired.
Provenance
Ex Hong Kong collection, 1990s.
From a London, UK, collection.
Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.02C26042024 from Laboratory Kotalla.
Footnotes
Rhinoceroses in ancient China were highly revered and the depictions in art are typically lifelike, the earliest example is a bronze zun vessel, which is thought to date to the 11th century B.C. During Tang Dynasty, tamed rhinos were presented by foreign embassies to the court.
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