A RARE CELADON-GLAZED 'FIGURE' WHISTLE NORTHERN QI DYNASTY

of circular section, the instrument well hollowed with an aperture at the top, one side skilfully depicted with the face of a foreigner, the stern countenance picked out with piercing eyes beneath furrowed brows, centred with a prominent nose above a moustache and thick lips, the cheeks further pierced with two further apertures, the well-pronounced facial features framed by curly tufts of hair and a fleshy chin, covered in a pale sage-green glaze stopping short of the unglazed convex reverse

Galaxie Company, Hong Kong, prior to 1990.

The whistle is in overall good condition. There is some light wear to the glaze and some minute nicks to the aperture on the left cheek, all consistent with age and use within the culture.
"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."

Northern Qi whistles of this type modelled to depict a foreigner are unusual although a similar example from the Meiyintang Collection is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 3, pt. 2, London, 2006, no. 1365. See also whistles modelled as monster masks, such as one attributed to the Tang dynasty, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Ceramics, vol. 4, Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, Beijing, 2013, pl. 126; another covered in a black glaze illustrated in Liu Zunyi, Yaozhou yao/ Yaozhou Kiln, Xi’an, 1992, p. 28 top right; and two sancai examples illustrated in Xie Mingliang, Zhongguo gudai qian youtao de shijie [The world of ancient Chinese lead-glazed wares], Taipei, 2014, pls 4.37 and 5.94.

Similar depictions of foreigners are discussed by Suzanne G. Valenstein in Cultural Convergence in the Northern Qi Period. A Flamboyant Chinese Ceramic Container, New York, 2007, pp. 48 and 49, where she suggests a Hellenistic prototype for these figures.