Page 324 - Christies IMportant Chinese Art Sept 26 2020 NYC

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF FREDERICK A. AND SHARON L.
KLINGENSTEIN
1807
A MASSIVE SANCAI AND BROWN-GLAZED POTTERY
FIGURE OF A BACTRIAN CAMEL
TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)
The camel is finely modelled striding on a shaped base, with its head
lifted and mouth open in a bray, the muscular body is covered in a rich
cream glaze, with textured areas of dark brown hair on the neck, thighs,
body and humps, and the splash-glazed, fitted blanket has an incised
border.
32æ in. (83.5 cm.) high
$100,000-150,000
PROVENANCE:
Eskenazi Ltd., London, 1979.
Dr and Mrs G. Fabbri, Lugano, Switzerland.
Eskenazi Ltd., London, 1986.
唐 三彩駱駝

This massive and exceptionally handsome camel is a particularly fine service for the northern frontier. Camels were not only prized for
example of the type of figure that was made to go into the tombs resilience but also for their hair, which was used to produce cloth,
of the Tang elite in the first half of the eighth century. Such models admired for its lightness and warmth, and when necessary for their
provided an obvious indication of the wealth of the family who could meat and milk during the long treks.
afford to inter such costly goods with their deceased relative. Figures
of camels have been found among the burial items in a number of Figures of Bactrian camels of this unusually large size are known
the Tang Imperial tombs, as well as some of those belonging to other standing foursquare as well as striding, in various glaze combinations,
members of the Tang nobility. However, these models were not simply and either laden with a pack or without. The more usual glaze
symbols of wealth, they were also symbols of the way that wealth combination is an amber body with straw or cream-glazed areas of
might have been acquired through trade and tribute along the Silk hair, as seen on the large figure of a Bactrian camel illustrated in the
Route. In the Tang dynasty, camels really did live up to the description catalogue Chugoku no Toji, Tokyo National Museum, 12 October-23
of them as 'ships of the desert', and were used to transport Chinese November 1994, p. 87, no. 122, and another sold at Christie's New
goods including silk across the difficut terrain of the Silk Route to the York, 19 March 2008, lot 512. The most unusual combination appears
markets of Central Asia, Samarkand, Persia and Syria. On their return to be that seen on the present figure and another similarly large
journeys, they carried many of the exotic luxuries from the west that (86.2 cm. high), striding figure of a Bactrian camel illustrated in Tang,
were desired by the sophisticated Tang court at Chang'an. Eskenazi, London, June-July 1987, no. 38. Both the present figure
and the Eskenazi figure have similar textured areas of hair glazed
The two-humped Bactrian camel, known in China from as early as the dark brown in contrast to the cream glaze of the body, but unlike the
Han dynasty, was originally brought from Central Asia and Eastern present figure the Eskenazi figure does not have a fitted, splash-
Turkestan as tribute. Its ability to survive the hardships of travel glazed blanket.
across the Asian deserts was soon recognized and Imperial camel
herds were established under the administration of a special Bureau. The result of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology, Oxford,
These Imperial camel herds, numbering in the thousands, were used thermoluminescence test dated 12 August 1987 is consistent with the
for a range of state duties, including the provision of a military courier dating of this lot.