A POLYCHROME SANDSTONE RELIEF CARVING OF A PHOENIX TANG DYNASTY

the sandstone slab of pale buff tone accented with colour pigments, carved in high relief with a yellow and red-feathered phoenix perched on a rocky ledge, naturalistically detailed with a curved beak above pendulous wattles and feathery crest, turning its head sharply towards the tip of its outstretched right wing while raising his left claw, the head, wing feathers and cragged promontory defined with incisions and coloured in maroon, the hackle, breast and claws pigmented yellow, with traces of green pigment

Acquired between the 1950s and 60s.

This is a wall fragment truncated on the rear and sides as visible on the photo. There is some wear and weathering on the surface in keeping with age. Otherwise there is no apparent recent damage or restoration. There are traces of an old red pigment on the bird's plumage and on the base, and traces of a yellow pigment on the bird's body, legs and left wing.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The phoenix (feng huang) in China has historically been considered as the ruler of all birds and appears on stone carvings and other works of art as early as the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220) when it represented good omen. See a Han dynasty relief carving in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, depicting a phoenix perched in the fork of the auspicious wutong tree, illustrated in Thomas Lawton, ‘Two Han Funerary Reliefs’, Oriental Art, vol. VI, no. 3, 1960, p. 95, pl. 2. Apart from its auspicious connotation, the phoenix later came to represent the Empress and was often depicted together with the dragon that symbolized the Emperor.

Compare two relief carvings of standing phoenixes, with almost vertically raised tails and heads turned backwards, as seen here, from the von der Heydt collection, illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculptures in the von der Heydt Collection, Zurich, 1959, pl. 37. Sirén describes these birds as supports for an arch over one of the broad niches in cave no. 16 at Tianlongshan in Shanxi province. This Buddhist cave temple complex, dating from the mid-sixth century, represents the Tang dynasty style of religious carving when the sensuous and voluptuous sculptural form came into fashion.

See also a slightly earlier, Northern Wei period, relief carving of a phoenix published in Yungang shiku [Yungang grottoes], Beijing, 1977, pl. 40, from cave no. 8 at the Yungang cave complex near Datong, Shanxi province, which may have served as the blueprint for later carvings.