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.

CONDITION

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LOT 2281