Page 24 - Bonhams FINE CHINESE ART London November 2 2021

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION
顯赫私人藏品
216
A VERY RARE MASSIVE SANCAI-GLAZED MODEL OF A Provenance: Tai Sing Fine Antiques Ltd., Hong Kong
BACTRIAN CAMEL A distinguished American private collection, acquired from the above in
Tang Dynasty January 2002
The beast powerfully modelled in mid-striding pose with its tall hair-lined
neck reared back, the head raised and mouth open as if bellowing, 來源：香港大成古玩有限公司
exposing its teeth and prominent tongue, the cream-glazed body 美國私人收藏，於2002年購自上者
surmounted by a square fringed blanket finely decorated in green,
chestnut and straw-glazes, the carved details of the fur glazed in brown.
88cm (34 5/8in) high x 74cm (29in) wide x 27cm (10 5/8in) deep.
£40,000 - 60,000
CNY360,000 - 530,000

唐 三彩駱駝俑

Finely modelled with an arched neck and mouth open wide as it bellows, In appearance, the present camel represents the Bactrian camel,
the present camel is an exceptional example of sancai sculptures which was imported into China from the areas of the Tarim Basin,
created during the Tang dynasty. The extraordinary sense of realism, eastern Turkestan and Mongolia. This species was highly regarded by
conveyed by the forward moving posture of the creature, enhanced the Tang Emperors who established dedicated offices to oversee the
by the strong and slender legs, highly detailed with naturalistic tufts of Imperial camel herds. Referred to as the ‘ships of the desert’, camels
dark fur, and the tall humps, gently swaying to either side of the body, endured hot temperatures and were the essential method of transport
shows a remarkable degree of observation on the sculptor’s part which for merchants wishing to conduct trade with the oasis cities of Central
is rarely otherwise encountered on animal models of this period to this Asia, such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Isfahan, along the trading routes
high degree. of the Silk Road; see E.R.Krauer, The Camel’s Load In Life & Death,
Cambridge, 1998, pp.50-120.
The creature would have been individually sculpted and extremely
expensive to produce at the time. It would have been commissioned for Vast riches poured into the Tang capital, Chang’an, from the Silk Road.
internment in a burial belonging to an elite member of Tang society and Merchants came from far afield to acquire silk, bamboo and lacquer
deemed to become alive for the benefit of its owner. Ancestors in China wares, and imported perfumes, horse and jewels; see E.Schafer, The
were deemed active participants in the life of their living offspring, which Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of Tang Exotics, Berkeley,
they could positively influence if provided with continuous care. Miniature 1963, pp.7-40. Different types of food, spices, and wines were also
universes were thus presented in burials and filled with a variety of imported into Tang China, as well as exotic musical genres, fashions and
necessities as painted, carved or moulded images, which were believed literary styles. In the arts, many foreign shapes such as amphorae, bird-
to function like their real counterpart if provided with the correct features. headed ewers and rhyton cups, and decorative motifs, such as hunting
Forming an analogical relation with daily forms, these figures and models scenes, floral medallions, garlands, swags, vines and Buddhist symbols,
embodied important social and ideological aspects of their own time; were imported from Central Asia and the Middle East; see B.Mater, De
see J.Rawson, ‘The Power of Images: The Model Universe of The First Gouden Eeuw Van China: De Tang Dynastie (618-907AD), Assen, 2011,
Emperor and Its Legacy,’ Historical Research, 2002, vol.75, no.188, pp.16-68. The recent excavation of thirty-seven tax receipts, recording
pp.123-54. approximately 600 payments, made in a year at a tax office outside
Turfan (present-day Xinjiang), testifies to the fast pace of trading activities
By the Tang dynasty, the burials constructed for the highest-ranking during the Tang dynasty. Chang’an had two main markets, referred to
members of society were decorated in a way that suggested a as the Eastern and the Western Market, both filled with shops, eateries
Courtly architectural compound through painted designs of receiving and tea houses, and additional trading centres were established in the
halls, garden settings and official gatherings, and a large amount proximity of its main gates; see V.Hansen, The Silk Road: A New History,
of pottery figures of courtiers, attendants, entertainers, horses and London, 2012.
camels; E.L.Johnston, ‘Auspicious Motifs In Ninth-Thirteenth-Century
Chinese Tombs’, Ars Orientalis, 2005, vol.33, no.2, pp.33-75; see also The animated attitude of this remarkable camel is reminiscent of
J.Rawson, ‘Creating Universes: Cultural Exchange As Seen In Tombs the running camels vividly depicted on the walls of Crown Prince
In Northern China Between the Han and Tang Periods’, Between Han Zhuanghuai’s tomb (d.684), excavated in Qianxian near Xi’an,
and Tang: Cultural and Artistic Interactions in a Transformative Period, Shaanxi Province, dated to 706 AD, illustrated in Out of China’s Earth:
Beijing, 2001, pp.113-152. These referred to frivolous moments of daily Archaeological Discoveries in People’s Republic of China, Beijing,
life and appeared in conjunction with a variety of extravagantly shaped 1981, pl.258.
vessels and personal ornaments made of gold, silver, and other precious
materials, which reflected the prosperity of the Empire. Compare also with a large sancai camel, Tang dynasty, similarly
modelled in mid-stride, in the collection of the British Museum, London,
illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu, vol.11, Tokyo, 1976, p.148, no.136.

A related sancai-glazed camel, Tang dynasty, was sold at Bonhams
London, 8 November 2018, lot 28.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
22 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.