TANG DYNASTY (618-907)

Details

A LARGE SANCAI-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF AN EARTH SPIRIT, ZHENMUSHOU
TANG DYNASTY (618-907)
The human-faced beast with wavy horn fronting its firey mane, portrayed seated attentively on its haunches, supported on a pierced rockwork base, its chest and belly highlighted by a cream-colored stripe outlined in green, with wings with spiky green feathers rising from its shoulders beneath fins projecting from either side of its neck, the wings and back splashed with green and amber, the details on its unglazed head painted in red, black and orange on white slip
41¾ in. (106 cm.) high

Provenance

Christie's, New York, 27 November 1991, lot 286A.

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Lot Essay

Guardian figures with ferocious or powerful aspects, such as is seen on the present lot, were buried in the entrances of tombs and served to protect the precinct of the dead from threatening evil spirits. A similar, though smaller (90.2 cm.) sancai-glazed figure of a zhenmushou was sold in these rooms, 16 October 2001, lot 356.

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