Page 46 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art London Nov. 2019

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A VERY RARE CARVED STONE FIGURE OF A DRUMMER
Han Dynasty
Deftly carved as a lively musician standing with knees bent, his
right hand holding a drum stick, the left with drum held against his
protruding belly, with animated expression and furrowed brow, stand.
49.5cm (19 1/2in) high. (2).

£10,000 - 15,000
CNY89,000 - 130,000

漢 石雕擊鼓人像

Provenance: Jacques Barrere, Paris, 30 March 1998.
John J. Studzinski CBE, London
Published and Illustrated: Jacques Barrere, Jacques Barrere Arts
d’Extreme Orient, Paris, 1996

來源：法國巴黎古董商，Jacques Barrere，1998年3月30日
大英帝國司令勳章受勳者John J. Studzinski珍藏
出版著錄：法國巴黎，Jacques Barrere，《Jacques Barrere Arts
d’Extreme Orient》，1996年

Vividly depicted in a swaying posture with his legs bent, his torso slightly
twisted and his back arched, the present figure is stylistically closely
related to a group of pottery figures of entertainers which have been
excavated from high-ranking Han dynasty tombs in Sichuan Province.
These entertainers have been examined as those specialising in a genre
of storytelling whereby their stories were both spoken and sung. The
expansion of the Han empire, particularly during the reign of Han Wudi,
(141-87BC), provided communication and transport between the court
and several non-Han frontier areas, which resulted in free circulation
of musicians and other entertainers from the Han urban centres to the
mansions of the nobility and the imperial court.

Compare with a similar pottery figure of a grimacing drummer from
the Sichuan Provincial Museum, illustrated by J.Rawson, Mysteries
of Ancient China. New Discoveries from the Early Dinasties, London,
1996, p.110.

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