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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.
ProvenanceEx Hong Kong collection, 1990s.
From a London, UK, collection.
Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.02C26042024 from Laboratory Kotalla.
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.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Chinese Painted Terracotta Neolithic Jar
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £202
With biconvex profile, broad shoulder, short cylindrical neck with everted rim to the mouth; one broad loop handle to the equator and another to the shoulder; painted geometric motifs. 1.04 kg, 22 cm
North Yorkshire, UK, collection, 1990s. -
Hoi An Cargo Shipwreck Glazed Blue and White Lidded Box Collection
15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Comprising three powder boxes, one with a stylised forest scene to the lid and the other two with a scene composed of trees and a house. 316 grams total, 62-63 mm
Ex Butterfield and Butterfield auction with official Hoi An Hoard labels. Accompanied by an illustrated information sheet about the Hoi An shipwreck.
In the mid 15th century a freighting junk loaded with fine Vietnamese pottery sank in an area of the South China Sea called the 'Dragon’s Embrace.' This vessel is part of the shipwreck cargo recovered off the coast of Vietnam at Hoi An. The ceramics themselves were probably made in the area of Chu Dau. -
South East Asian Stone Head
18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Carved in the round with exaggerated ears and lentoid eyes. gusseted mouth and ribbed hair; mounted on a display stand. 2.65 kg total, 28.5 cm including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
