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Lot Essay
For a bronze figure with somewhat similar eyes, also shown in a kneeling position and holding a spear, from the Anthony and Susan Hardy Collections and the Sze Yuan Tang, see Li Xueqin, The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Singapore, 2000, no. 99. The figure is dated to the Han dynasty, and like the present figure, the hair is dressed in coiled S-curls. He is identified as depicting a Central Asian or hu (barbarian). As there is a cylindrical socket projecting from the top of the head, and a hole in the bottom of the left knee for attachment to a stand, it is assumed by the author that the figure was meant as some kind of support, which is true of the present figure. Compare, also, the bronze figure riding on a chimera, also dated to the Han dynasty, included in the exhibition, Arts of Ancient China, J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 31 May - 23 June 1990, no. 9.