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LOT 2047
Large Chinese Tang Terracotta Hunter on Horseback
TANG DYNASTY, 618-907 A.D.
17 1/2 in. (3.95 kg, 44.5 cm high).
The horse modelled standing on a rectangular base, the rider positioned to hold the reins, wearing a hat and with a rolled blanket fastened behind him; polychrome motifs to the rider's garment and horse's saddle cloth.
ProvenanceEx Cotswold, UK, collection, 1970-1990.
Accompanied by an original Oxford Authentication thermoluminescence analysis report no.C122f83.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.203480.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 1991.253.7a, b, for a broadly comparable example.
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 Gilt Copper Crouching Camel
Song Dynasty, 960-1279 A.D. or earlierEstimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Modelled in the round with a double hump, neck gracefully resting against the back, and legs folded beneath the body. 164 grams, 56 mm
Acquired in the 1960s. From the collection of Mr Jay Gluck (1927-2000) & Mrs Sumi Hiramoto Gluck. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12063-214191.
Camel-shaped water droppers would have been perfect not only for dispensing water onto the inkstone, but also because the humps could form as a brush rest too. The form of our artefact showcases the rapid cultural interaction and integration between China and Central Asia during the early dynasties of China. By the Tang Dynasty, China was one of the most cosmopolitan empires on earth with traders and missionaries from across Asia, Europe and Africa in the capital Chang'an. Depictions of two-humped Bactrian camels in pottery symbolised wealth, trade and international networks. The famous calligrapher and painter Qi Gong (1912-2005) owned a similar gilt-bronze camel paperweight, who according to his records purchased it in an antique shop in Japan. Qi Gong even renamed his studio 'The Little Bronze Camel Studio' (xiao tong luo guan’). -
Chinese Painted Stone Head
20th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £650
Carved bust with dressed hair beneath a lobed diadem with foliage detailing, serene face with eyes closed, urna to the brow; yellow, green, red and other pigment; mounted on a sturdy wooden stand. 7 kg total, 44.5 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. -
Chinese Tang Terracotta Bull
Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £104
Hollow-formed bull modelled in the round with vent to the underside. 980 grams, 22 cm long
North Yorkshire, UK, collection, 1990s.
