A SANCAI-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A CAMEL RIDER, TANG DYNASTY
Lot 39 - SING0925

Published: Koos de Jong, Small China: Early Chinese Miniatures, 2021, p. 153, fig. 128.

China, 618–907. Well potted, depicting a foreign rider mounted on a kneeling camel, the figure wearing a tight-fitting cap and a robe over trousers tucked into high boots. His long hair braided, hanging down his back. The man is holding a wine bag in his right hand and seated turned to the left on the saddle. Covered with a mottled glaze of amber, green, and ochre tones save for the underside.

Provenance: Dong Yu Artesanato, Macao, 1998. Collection of Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above. A Dutch art historian and collector, Dr. Koos de Jong has worked across several cultural institutions in the Netherlands from 1976, serving as the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch between 1999-2009, before retiring in 2009. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the modern era. His scholarly interests expanded to Chinese material culture, culminating in the 2013 publication of Dragon & Horse: Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond, a pioneering study on Chinese equestrian gear. Continuing this line of inquiry, his more recent book published in 2021, Small China: Early Chinese Miniatures, explores the largely overlooked world of Chinese miniature objects, combining archaeological research with art historical insight.
Condition: Good condition, with minor wear, firing irregularities, and little glaze flaking. The underside with few chips here and there.

Weight: 31.7 g
Dimensions: Height 5.5cm

Literature comparison:
Pottery groups of a camel with rider are not uncommon during the Tang dynasty, but miniature forms such as the present example are comparatively rare. A sancai glazed pottery figure of a standing camel, is in the collection of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo. Two further comparable small camels in reclining position, covered in amber glaze and perhaps deriving from the same mold, are in the Meiyintang collection. Compare a related sancai pottery figure of a camel rider, Tang dynasty, 11.3 cm, in Ben Janssens Oriental Art. For another closely related figure of a foreigner and camel see Early Chinese Miniatures, China Institute of America, by Dr Paul Singer, p. 54, figure 117.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christies New York, 16 October 2001, lot 15
Price: USD 9.987 or approx. EUR 15,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Two Rare Miniature Blue, Amber and White-Glazed Pottery Animals
Expert remark: Compare the manner of execution and slightly larger size (7.9 cm). Note that the lot comprises two figures.