A rare blue-splashed sancai-glazed pottery figure of a wine merchant Tang dynasty

the smiling young man seated on a low rockwork stool with his right leg crossed over the left knee, holding in his lap a goose-shaped ewer issuing a conical funnel from its beak, dressed in a long coat belted below the waist and folded over at the back, the unglazed face modelled with a hooked nose, large round eyes and short curly hair pulled up by a narrow knotted fillet, splash-glazed to the coat, undergarment and goose feathers with rich tones of cobalt-blue, straw and amber glazes

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 18th May 1982, lot 54.
The Estate of Neil F. Phillips.
Christie's New York, 25th March 1998, lot 131A.

The figure in remarkably good condition and the glaze still colorful and vibrant, with expected flaking and some chipping. The edge of the hair and the nose were likely cracked and have been restored. The proper left hand with a hole 1/8 inch wide. The proper right knee with a tiny chip and attendant crack 1/8 inch.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present figure belongs to a group of known Tang sancai pottery sculpture depicting foreign merchants carrying animal-form wine skins.  A related figure is illustrated in Jan Chapman, 'A New Look at the "Wine Sellers" among Tang Tomb Figurines', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 52, 1987-88, pl. 3, where the author notes that, although it has been suggested such funnels may have been used for force-feeding, the animals and birds represent earthenware wine containers with a rhinoceros horn (or an earthenware) stopper which could also be used as a wine cup.

Figures of this type incorporating imported cobalt-blue in addition to the usual sancai glazes are extremely rare.  Other wine merchants from this group, with pronounced foreign features and seated upon a low stool but covered in the more typical sancai glaze combination, have been sold in these rooms, 2nd November 1979, lot 181, now in the Idemitsu Museum of Art and illustrated in its 15th Anniversary Catalogue, 1981, no. 624.  Compare another one sold in these rooms, 12th June 1984, lot 182.