A RARE GREEN-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A TORTOISE
A RARE GREEN-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A TORTOISE

CHINA, HAN DYNASTY (206 BC - AD 220)

Details
A RARE GREEN-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A TORTOISE
CHINA, HAN DYNASTY (206 BC - AD 220)
Modeled with head raised, the carapace undecorated, covered with a green glaze that has partially degraded to a pale golden-green color
9 ¼ in. (23.5 cm.) wide
Provenance
Cathay Gallery, Chicago, 12 June 1989.
The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago.

Lot Essay


One of the four spiritually endowed creatures, the tortoise is rich with Chinese symbolism. Tortoise carapaces were used for divination during the Shang dynasty (circa 1600-1100 BC), and the first Chinese pictographs were inscribed on tortoise carapaces and animal bones.

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