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he present stone fragment was likely once a panel of a funerary structure, possibly a
decorative panel of a wall or door of a sarcophagus. The walls of the sarcophagus of Li
TShou, Prince Jing of Huai’an, now housed in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Museum and illustrated in Angela Falco Howard, et. al, Chinese Sculpture, 2006, Beijing, fig. 2.39, feature
relief carvings of beasts and stylized clouds similar to the present example on its walls and around
the tomb door. The tomb of Li Shou, a cousin of Tang emperor Gaozu, was erected in 631 within the
emperor’s Xianling necropolis. Other funerary structures from this period feature painted or incised
decoration, rather than the lively relief-carving like that which is seen on the tomb of Li Shou. This
comparison and the variations in contemporary tomb embellishment would suggest that the present
panel was once meant to protect the spirit of a member of the court elite.
It is worth considering as well a funerary stele erected for Xiao Hongtian, illustrated in Yao Qian and Gu
Bing, Nan chao ling mu shi ke, [Tomb Carvings of the Southern Dynasties], Beijing, 1981, pls. 55 and 56.
Xiao was conferred as ruler of the Linchuan region in the year 502, and perished in 526. The main face of
the stele comprises eight square panels with relief-carved striding mythical beasts among cloud wisps,
within foliate borders. The more robust and full body of the present panel implies a slightly later date
than the Xiao stele, as does the more stylized and developed treatment of the clouds.
᱙⪘ⴠᝃ◧ව䮢㸊丫ỸУ喑㒛ᩫḧბ❳ᝃ䪭̷В ࢄᶮ㪚Ⴜවⴠⶾϓज䇴ࣰ㔰喑ܷ䐶༇䖤ࣷऑڢ㦄喑
◧㸊吋ȡ⌛Ⴖ⢸ᱻสවḧბఈ෮ࣷ䪭䕞丫⪘ⴠӬ Ȩࢄ䮢වⴠݨȩ喑ࡄϙ喑1981Ꭱ喑ృ❵55ࣷ56ȡ
㜴ₑⰥ䶋ѩ喑ڣ̷ϓ⊛䰂⺋⢥ࣷⰥ䶋⺒䰟㈸喑⤫䇜 㪚Ⴜ๖ⰐٰᎡ喍502Ꭱ喎ऄᄮ㜕ጊ䘎⢸喑ᮛ䕇̰Ꭱ
⪳㋚५❫㜗⇨ࢇ➖乕喑㦄䠱Ⴖश៶ɀ∂❫ɀ 喍526Ꭱ喎㫕ȡ㪚Ⴜවⴠⶾͨ䲏⩞ژ൷ₐᒏᄼⶾᠩ
䰺↰ぶ㌕喑ȨChinese Sculptureȩ喑2006Ꭱ喑ࡄ ㉱㔹喑ڣ̷⊛䰂⺋⢥䰟㈸ȡ᱙৮䰂ݨ⦋⢥倁ᙸᘵߍ
ϙ喑ృ2 39ȡᱻส喍倅⺃ᓋ❣ᑌ喎වᐧ䇋㻭 ֒ผᑤᄓ喑䰟㈸ϓᰡ䋕䷕ᵩࡃ喑ᩲᎡА̷ᛶ⼺ᮇ
ρᎡ喍631Ꭱ喎喑Ѻ倅⺃ᱻ⌢⢨䮢ڔȡह᭯Аڣ 㪚වⴠⶾҸȡ
Ѓවᄏ็В෮⪘◧丫喑ᝃ҉ⴠݨ㌇⪘喑ຯᱻสව⊛
䰂㸊丫Ƞ䷕ᵩ⩌ࠂᬻᔘ㔲喑⩇◧ᄾ㺸ȡₑ㝙ᄺ℁ࣷጛ
⪝喑ᝃ䁶ₑ䶋⪘ⴠᛶ➦◧⮴㻗సᝇȠ䇡Ⴥ䶜დ䮢ᄊ
ᄵ㸪喑⩕В䂤Ѿώ䱵ȡ
12 SEPTEMBER 2018 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 45
