China, 1368-1644. Well modeled on an arched tile riding on his elephant, the left hand on his chest, dressed in long flowing robes cascading in voluminous folds, the long hair tied behind a foliate tiara, his face with a serene expression and downcast eyes, covered overall in sumptuous glazes of emerald-green, amber, ochre, and black.

Provenance: Theodore Schrire, Cape Town, South Africa, and thence by descent in the same family. Theodore Schrire (1906-1991) attained his MA at the University of Cape Town, where he also received the medal in physiology in 1925. He worked as a general surgeon in private practice and was attached to the department of surgery at the University of Cape Town Medical School under Professor Saint. In 1955 he was awarded the Hamilton-Bailey medal of the Medical Association of South Africa. He later worked as the assistant editor of the South African Medical Journal, where he published numerous papers and edited two books, Emergencies: Casualty Organization and Treatment (1962), and Surgical Emergencies: Diagnoses and Management (1972). After retirement, he pursued his passions and became a respected collector of Chinese works of art, Netsuke, maps of Africa, Palestine and Judaica, and a variety of literary works.
Condition: Good condition with some wear, small glaze chips, signs of weathering, soil encrustations, and expected firing flaws, the neck with an old repair.

Weight: 4,990 g
Dimensions: Height 39.5 cm

Known as Puxian in Chinese, Samantabhadra is sometimes shown in Chinese art with feminine characteristics, bearing similar dress and features to some depictions of Guanyin. It is in this guise that Samantabhadra is revered as the patron bodhisattva of the monasteries associated with Mount Emei in western China. Some believe that the white elephant mount of Samantabhadra was the same elephant that appeared to Queen Maya, the mother of the Buddha, to herald his birth.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related blue and sancai glazed roof tile of a figure astride an elephant, 27.2 cm high, also dated to the Ming dynasty, in the collection of the Syracuse University Art Museum, object number 2001.0026.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 15 September 2016, lot 844
Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 29,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Pair of Sancai Equestrian-Form Roof Tiles, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related glaze and modeling technique, note that this lot consists of two figures.



明代罕見三彩普賢騎象琉璃瓦
中國，1368-1644年。普賢修眉細目，雙眼微合，面相沉靜莊嚴，左手置於胸前，身著飄逸長跑，頭戴葉狀王冠，騎在白象上。琉璃瓦造型良好，通體施三彩釉。

來源：南非開普敦Theodore Schrire私人收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Theodore Schrire (1906-1991)在開普敦大學獲得碩士學位，並於 1925 年獲得生理學獎章。他曾在私人診所擔任普通外科醫生，並隸屬於開普敦大學醫學院外科系，師從 Saint 教授。1955 年，他被授予南非醫學協會的漢密爾頓-貝利獎章。之後，他曾擔任《南非醫學雜誌》的助理編輯，發表了大量論文並編輯了兩本書：《Emergencies: Casualty Organization and Treatment》(1962 年) 和《Surgical Emergencies: Diagnoses and Management》(1972 年)。 退休後，他追求自己的理想，成為一位受人尊敬的收藏家，收藏了中國藝術品、根付、非洲和巴勒斯坦地圖、猶太地圖以及各種文學作品。
品相：狀況良好，有一些磨損、小釉屑、風化跡象，土壤結殼和燒製缺陷，頸部有修復。

重量：4,990 克
尺寸：高39.5 厘米

三曼多跋陀羅在中國被稱為普賢，有時在中國藝術中表現出女性特徵，穿著與觀音描繪相似的服飾，中國西部峨眉山是普賢菩薩的道場。有些人認為普賢菩薩的白象坐騎與佛陀的母親摩耶王后現身預示佛祖誕生的大象是同一頭大象。

文獻比較：
比較一件相近明代藍和三彩騎象琉璃瓦 ，高27.2 ，收藏於 Syracuse University Art Museum，館藏編號2001.0026。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2016年9月15日，lot 844
價格：USD 25,000（相當於今日EUR 29,000）
描述：明代一對三彩騎馬人俑瓦
專家評論：比較非常相近的釉面、建模技術，請注意此俑為一對。