17th Oct, 2024 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
128
A VERY LARGE SICHUAN POTTERY MODEL OF A HARNESSED DOG, HAN DYNASTY
Sold for €6,140
including Buyer's Premium
Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 11 July 2024, based on sample number C124f97, sets the firing date of four samples taken between 1400 and 2200 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.
China, 206 BC-220 AD. Heavily potted, the canine with its head slightly lowered and looking straight ahead with large eyes, alert ears, and a broad nose, the mouth sightly agape revealing tongue and teeth, the skin folds around its jowl finely carved. The stout body standing squarely on four muscular legs with the tail curled above the strong haunches, encased in an elaborate harness.
Provenance: From an important private collection of a prominent family in the Southern United States.
Condition: Good condition overall, commensurate with age. Wear, few losses, minor chips, encrustations, and structural cracks. Minuscule drilled holes from sample-taking. Old repairs and touchups, as generally expected from Han dynasty excavations.
Weight: 18.1 g
Dimensions: Length 75 cm
In the late Shang dynasty, dogs were buried in royal tombs as sacrificial animals. Thousand years later, by the Han dynasty, actual dogs had long since been replaced by clay replicas. Placed at the entrance to underground tombs, they served to guard the deceased and the tomb furnishings. Many different breeds and regional preferences can be recognized among the Han-period tomb figurines. Like other dogs found in Sichuan, this one wears a snug harness. Everything about this creature speaks to its vitality and strength, from the alert stance, the erect ears, and outward gaze, to the neatly curled tail.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related tomb figure of a dog, Eastern Han period, in the collection of the Miho Museum, Japan.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 29 March 2022, lot 666
Price: USD 8,190 or approx. EUR 8,200 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A green-glazed pottery figure of a dog, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related subject and modeling. Note the glaze and the different size (32.6 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 March 2016, lot 1471
Price: USD 6,250 or approx. EUR 7,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A massive Sichuan grey pottery model of a dog, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar alert stance, curled tail, and harness. Note the related size (68.7 cm).
Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 11 July 2024, based on sample number C124f97, sets the firing date of four samples taken between 1400 and 2200 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.
China, 206 BC-220 AD. Heavily potted, the canine with its head slightly lowered and looking straight ahead with large eyes, alert ears, and a broad nose, the mouth sightly agape revealing tongue and teeth, the skin folds around its jowl finely carved. The stout body standing squarely on four muscular legs with the tail curled above the strong haunches, encased in an elaborate harness.
Provenance: From an important private collection of a prominent family in the Southern United States.
Condition: Good condition overall, commensurate with age. Wear, few losses, minor chips, encrustations, and structural cracks. Minuscule drilled holes from sample-taking. Old repairs and touchups, as generally expected from Han dynasty excavations.
Weight: 18.1 g
Dimensions: Length 75 cm
In the late Shang dynasty, dogs were buried in royal tombs as sacrificial animals. Thousand years later, by the Han dynasty, actual dogs had long since been replaced by clay replicas. Placed at the entrance to underground tombs, they served to guard the deceased and the tomb furnishings. Many different breeds and regional preferences can be recognized among the Han-period tomb figurines. Like other dogs found in Sichuan, this one wears a snug harness. Everything about this creature speaks to its vitality and strength, from the alert stance, the erect ears, and outward gaze, to the neatly curled tail.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related tomb figure of a dog, Eastern Han period, in the collection of the Miho Museum, Japan.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 29 March 2022, lot 666
Price: USD 8,190 or approx. EUR 8,200 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A green-glazed pottery figure of a dog, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related subject and modeling. Note the glaze and the different size (32.6 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 March 2016, lot 1471
Price: USD 6,250 or approx. EUR 7,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A massive Sichuan grey pottery model of a dog, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar alert stance, curled tail, and harness. Note the related size (68.7 cm).
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