A RARE POTTERY HORNED 'MONSTER' MASK, PUSHOU, TANG DYNASTY

Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 11 July 2025, based on sample number C125j86, sets the firing date of both samples taken between 1000 and 1600 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.

China, ca. 618-907. Finely molded in relief as a lion mythical beast mask with a wide opened mouth revealing sharp teeth and fangs within, bulging eyes below furrowed brows, surmounted by two horns, all encircled by a flaming mane.

Condition: Good condition with old wear, commensurate with age. Natural fissures, age cracks, small losses, a fill at the left side, and remnants of pigments. Minor old repairs to the horns and mane with associated touchups, exactly as expected from ancient and authentic Tang dynasty excavations.

Provenance:
- Collection of Ganna Walska (1887-1984).
- Vallin Galleries, Wilton, 27 February 1998.
- The Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, acquired from the above.

A copy of an invoice from Vallin Galleries, dated 27 February 1998, confirming the dating and provenance above, accompanies this lot.

Ganna Walska, born Hanna Puacz (1887–1984) in Brest-Litovsk, was a Polish-American socialite, singer, and passionate garden creator. After living in Europe and the U.S., going through several marriages, and pursuing an operatic career, she dedicated herself from the 1940s onward to developing her famous estate in Montecito, California, known as Lotusland. Under her vision, it became a 37-acre botanical garden with around 3,200 plant species. While she is best known for Lotusland, she also owned notable jewelry and art, including pieces later acquired by museums such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among them the Fabergé Marlborough Egg.

Jane and Leopold Swergold are distinguished collectors of Chinese Buddhist art, particularly small gilt-bronze figures. Their collection spans seven centuries of Chinese history, from the Northern & Southern Dynasties through the Liao and Song Dynasties. The works include Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, disciples, guardian deities, and even Daoist figures, all considered masterpieces of both artistic and religious significance. Their collection has been exhibited at institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Weight: 1,906 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Length 21.5 cm, Height 28.3 cm (excl. stand), 34.2 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated metal stand. (2)

After the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 CE, China entered a long era of political fragmentation in which northern territories were frequently controlled by non-Han groups. Despite this turbulence, the practice of furnishing tombs with ceramic sculptures continued and ultimately flourished under the Tang dynasty (618–907), a period celebrated for its peace, prosperity, and cosmopolitan culture. The Tang capital of Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) was a thriving hub at the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, drawing foreign merchants, travelers, and pilgrims. Tombs from this period contained rich assemblages of ceramic figures, inlcuding horses, camels, foreign traders, and attendants, intended to project the prestige of the deceased. Among the most dramatic inclusions were elaborate funerary retinues featuring armored guardians, elegant courtiers, and mounted aristocrats, while protective monster masks were placed at tomb entrances to ward off malevolent forces.

These masks, known as pushou, represent a revival of an ancient form with roots in Han funerary traditions. Traditionally, pushou combined the head of a fierce beast, often linked to the taotie motif of archaic bronzes, with a ring to resemble a door knocker, symbolically guarding the threshold to the afterlife. While early examples were typically cast in bronze, Tang artisans reinterpreted them in earthenware, creating striking images of horned monsters with glaring eyes and bared teeth. Closely related Tang pottery masks are preserved today in major collections, including the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, and the British Museum in London, where they testify to both the Tang fascination with antiquity and the enduring belief in the protective power of these fearsome visages.

Literature comparison:
Compare two closely related pottery ‘monster’ masks, dated to the late 7^th-8^th century, Tang dynasty, 50 and 30.5 cm wide, in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, object number 2006.169.2 and 2003.216. Compare a closely related potter ‘monster’ mask, dated to the 7^th century, Tang dynasty, in the British Museum, registration number 1983,0725.1. Compare a closely related glazed pottery ‘monster’ mask, which served as a tomb ornament, dated to the Tang dynasty, 33.5 wide, in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge University, accession number C.101-1961.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 22 March 2011, lot 250
Price: USD 9,375 or approx. EUR 12,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large gray pottery mask, Six dynasties period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, similar expression and size (29 cm high). Note the earlier date.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 17 March 2025, lot 90
Price: USD 21,760 or approx. EUR 23,500 converted at the time of writing
Description: A pair of sancai-glazed pottery lion mask fittings
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and similar expression. Note the glaze, the smaller size (17.8 cm high) and that the lot comprises a pair.