A RARE AND LARGE STRAW-GLAZED POTTERY AMPHORA EARLY TANG DYNASTY |

elegantly potted, the slightly splayed foot swelling to high, rounded shoulders surmounted by a tall waisted neck molded with four raised rings and an everted galleried rim applied on each side with a molded florette, further florettes applied to the shoulder, surmounted by two curved double-strap handles applied with three studded bosses, terminating in dragon-head terminals biting the rim, covered overall with a finely crackled translucent glaze of pale yellowish tint stopping unevenly above the base to reveal the fine buff body, Japanese wood box (3)

Mayuyama, Tokyo, prior to 1976.

Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Tokyo, 1976, vol. 1, pl. 214.

Overall in good condition with restoration to the tip of one dragon's ear and the snout of the other. With glaze wear and scattered firing imperfections typical of the type.
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.

Vases of this elegant form, with full rounded shoulders, a tall ringed neck and a pair of sweeping handles in the form of sinuous dragons, illustrate the international spirit of the Tang dynasty. Known in Chinese as longbinghu 'dragon-handled jars', their form was inspired by silver and glass vases made in the Roman Empire and brought to China through the Silk Route. The Tang potters cleverly adapted Western forms to suit contemporary taste by modelling the handles in the form of dragons biting the vessel’s rim.  

Examples of dragon-handled amphoras, both with white and amber-brown glazes, have been found in Gongyi city, Henan province, not far from the Gongyi kiln site, one of the foremost producers of Tang pottery. A reconstructed example, unearthed from a Tang dynasty tomb at Beiyaowan, near Gongyi, was included in the exhibition Ceramic Finds from Henan, University Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 1997, cat. no. 12. 

 

A very similar amphora from the collection of Robert W. de Forest, now in the Newark Museum, was included in the exhibition Chinese Art from the Newark Museum, China Institute in America, New York, 1980, cat. no. 9; and another from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Bernat was sold in these rooms, 7th November 1980, lot 54, and again at Christie’s New York, 4th June 1987, lot 156.