 UNGLAZED POTTERY MODEL OF A CAMEL Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 1.UNGLAZED POTTERY MODEL OF A CAMEL. CHINA.TANG DYNASTY.618 - 907 AD. L: 59 CMS, 23 INS.H: 74 CMS, 29 INS. A magnificent pottery model of a Bactrian camel with a foreign rider, probably a Sogdian groom, seated with his arms raised as if grappling with the reins, dressed in characteristic full length Central Asian jacket with wide lapels and long boots, his bearded face with large eyes under bushy brows, a large beaked nose and a thick curling moustache, astride a large detachable saddle bag slung between the camel’s humps, rendered in accurate detail with various attachments including a flask and rabbit skin to each side, the animal superbly modelled as if striding forwards with beautifully sculpted head, the braying mouth wide open to reveal realistically rendered teeth, palate and tongue, with wide eyes and flaring nostrils, the upturned neck with bushy mane, the strong slender legs with well delineated tendons and padded feet, the dark grey earthenware body with traces of white slip remaining. For travellers and merchants along the Silk Road, camels provided the most dependable means of transportation, as they were able to carry heavy loads and survive the rigours of thirst, heat and cold. They have often been described as ‘Ships of the Desert’. Heading west, camel cargoes contained silk, but also ceramics, spices and tea. On the return trips they were loaded with treasures from the western world including gold, coloured glass, pigments for glazes and exotic furs. For a comparable figure of a camel with a Central Asian rider, see fig. 241 in Hao Qian et al, Out of China’s Earth: Archeological Discoveries in the People’s Republic of China. London: Frederick Muller; Beijing : China Pictorial, 1981. A remarkable example of a unglazed camel with rider holding an owl was sold at Sotheby’s in New York, March 2002, for US$412,750, Lot no 55, sale no N07771. For a detailed history of pottery figures of camels, see E. R. Knauer, The Camel’s Load in Life and Death, Zurich: Akanthus, 1998.Age verified by four point Oxford Thermoluminescence Test C106j52.PROVENANCE: Private French collection.
|  UNGLAZED POTTERY EARTH SPIRIT Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 12.UNGLAZED POTTERY EARTH SPIRITCHINATANG DYNASTY, 618 – 907H. 54 CMS, 21 INSA dynamic, unglazed pottery earth spirit, superbly carved in a rampant posture of defiance, with his right hand raised and his left grappling with a poisonous toad, the ferocious looking guardian beast sporting long flame like spikes all along its spine rising above a face with bulging eyes and curly beard, its muscular body and legs suppressing the movement of a supine boar at his feet, the whole group resting on a rock said to represent the Buddhist celestial mountain, Mount Sumeru, finely painted pigments to the chest and lower body in the form of large leafy white flowerheads remaining. Earth spirits were placed in pairs inside the entrance of a tomb acting as guardian beasts. Early, Sui dynasty examples were simply modelled but by the 8th century of the Tang dynasty, as is seen here, the expressions and accoutrements had become more exaggerated. For a closely related example see page 53, plate 42, J. Baker, Seeking Immortality, Santa Ana, California, 1996. See also number 152 in Selected Tang Tomb Figurines Excavated in Shaanxi Province, Beijing, 1958. Age verified by Oxford thermoluminescence test.
|  Two handled jade cup
Two handled jade cup.Chinese, 17th/18th century.Length: 12.5 cm, 4 7/8 inches.A small round jade cup of archaic form, the pierced handles carved as stylized dragons, their faces appearing towards the top, the exterior of the cup decorated with small circular scrolls, the jade an even celadon tone.Provenance: Private Collection, originally purchased from John Sparks Ltd.
|  STANDING LIMESTONE BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
11 STANDING LIMESTONE BUDDHA. CHINA, SHANDONG PROVINCE.NORTHERN QI DYNASTY, 550-557 AD.H. 127 CMS, 50 INS.An exceptional white limestone figure of Buddha standing on a lotus pedestal with his right hand raised in abhayamudra and his left lowered in varadamudra, carved in the round with a raised usnisha and elongated earlobes, the face serene with eyes cast downwards in meditation, the corners of the lips drawn up into a faint smile, the expression benevolent and tranquil; the sanghati covering both shoulders with a broad collar and descending to a double-hem, the surface of the stone with extensive pigmentation, gilding and plant residue.The celebrated Qingzhou hoard, a large group of Buddhist statues of exceptional quality, was accidentally unearthed in 1996 by workers levelling a school sports field in Qingzhou, a small city in Shandong Province on China's northeast coast. Created during a 50-year period spanning the Northern Wei (386–534), Eastern Wei (534–550) and the Northern Qi (550–577) dynasties, the sculptures illustrate the dramatic stylistic changes that occurred during that time. The unusual quantity of remaining gilding and vibrant red, green and other pigments on their surfaces provide an opportunity for the viewer to experience the impact of brightly decorated sculpture - the norm in ancient China. Note: The stone colour, patination, plant residue and pigments are identical on both the main figure and the lotus pedestal; evidence that both parts of the sculpture belong together. There are also extensive traces of a painted monk’s robe on both the front and back of this sculpture.For a similar example from the Qingzhou horde, please see no. 17 in the exhibition catalogue for Royal Academy of Arts, Return of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries, 2002. Provenance: Private Scottish collection.
|  SANDSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 8.SANDSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA. CHINA.PROBABLY FROM SHANXI PROVINCE.NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY.960 - 1127 AD.H. 32 CMS, 12 ˝ INS.An over life-sized pale sandstone head of Buddha, sensitively modelled with a benign, tranquil expression, the eyes cast downwards in meditation, the hair arranged in bands of snail shell curls rising to a domed usnisha; with traces of pigment in the recesses.For a prototype of this style, dated to the Liao dynasty (1038), please compare with the painted clay figure of Buddha with attendants in the Huayan Temple (Datong, Shanxi Province) – see page 375 in A.F. Howard et al, Chinese Sculpture, Yale University Press, 2006.
|  QINGBAI COSMETIC BOX AND COVER Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 15.QINGBAI COSMETIC BOX AND COVER.CHINA.SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY.1127 – 1279 AD .D. 8 CMS, 3 1/8 INS. A porcelain box and cover of circular form, the slightly domed cover mould stamped and sculpted with a spray of flowers within a foliate rim, a pale blue (Qingbai) glaze covering the lid and sides of the base, leaving the rims and base unglazed to show the white clay body. Women of the Song dynasty favoured small boxes to contain different cosmetic materials. For a similar box decorated with flowers see fig. 290, page 161, He Li, Chinese Ceramics: The New Standard Guide, Thames and Hudson, 1996. There are comparable examples of cosmetic boxes in the British Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ashmolean Museum and the Barlow Collection, University of East Sussex; all illustrated as plates 100, 103, 104 and 105 in Stacey Pierson, Qingbai Ware: Chinese Porcelain of the Song and Yuan dynasties, Percival David Foundation of Art, 2002. PROVENANCE: Private English collection. Acquired by the owner’s father during employment with the British Foreign Service during the 1950s or 1960s.
|  PORCELAIN FAMILLE VERTE SAUCER DISH Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 22.PORCELAIN FAMILLE VERTE SAUCER DISH.CHINA.KANGXI PERIOD.1662-1722.D. 34.5 CMS, 13 ˝ INS.A fine porcelain saucer dish brightly decorated in famille verte enamels, showing a court scene depicting the Emperor and his officials seated at a table enjoying an acrobatic display, all supported on a short tapering double foot-ring. For a famille verte dish of similar size but with a different story depicted see plate 173, page 159, Christian J. A. Jorg, Chinese Ceramics in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1997. Compare also to a much larger famille verte dish decorated with the Tang Emperor Xuanzong, illustrated as plate 35, page 58, Recent Acquistions, Marchant and Son, 2002.PROVENANCE: Private English collection. Formerly in the collection of Dr Fleischer, Berlin, purchased in 1990 (by repute).
|  Pair of stucco heads Current and Past Exhibitions
Pair of stucco heads.China, probably from Shanxi province.Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD. H. 8 ins, 20cm.A striking pair of female stucco heads, their faces calm with eyes peering brightly from beneath arched brows; the hair painted blue and modelled into coils, with gilt headdresses elaborately rendered with curling tendrils and brightly painted shapes representing jewels.The mountainous, rugged terrain and dry climate of Shanxi province, with its numerous monasteries and temples, helped to preserve many such sculptures from damage by war and nature.
|  Pair of lacquer panels Current and Past Exhibitions, Current and Past Exhibitions
Pair of lacquer panels.Chinese.Kangxi period, 1662-1722.H. 26 ˝ ins, 67.5 cm. W. 14 ins, 35.5 cm. A pair of black lacquered wooden panels, each brightly painted in polychrome and gilt enamels with a garden landscape of people seated in pavilions among lakes, bridges and mountains; each framed in its original gilded lacquer frame with brass fittings.Provenance: Collection of Derek Clifford.
|  Pair of Guardian Figures Current and Past Exhibitions
Pair of Guardian Figures.China, probably from Ningxia province.Western Xia (Xixia), Tangut Kingdom, circa 12th century.H. 13 ˝ ins, 34cmAn exceptionally rare pair of red sandstone tomb guardians, each with bulging eyes and a humorous expression, crouching with lotuses balanced upon their heads. From the time of their establishment as an independent state in 982, until their subjugation by the Mongols around 1227, the Xixia (Western Xia or Tanguts) flourished as a commercial power. Their revenues were derived from taxes, levied upon merchants travelling along the section of the Silk Road within the great curve of the Yellow River- a large part of modern Gansu province. The Xixia were devout Buddhists, their artistic creations heavily influenced by Tibet. Examples of Tangut tomb guardians are scarce but a pair of similar figures- one male and one female- are illustrated in Shi Jinbo, Xi Xia Wen Wu, 1988 [ISBN no. 7-5010-0049-2].
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