唐早期 陶加彩駱駝胡人俑

superbly modeled with a foreign rider sitting on top of a camel striding forward in apparent haste, an Eurasian owl perched on his outstretched hand, its perked up ears tufts in recognition of their traveling speed, the rider's other arm extended with hands clenched as if holding on to straining reins, the wide lapels of his fur-lined jacket thrown open as if wind-blown too, showing very naturalistically modeled sagging nipples and a bulging stomach, the face with large beaked nose, hooded eyes beneath very bushy eyebrows and a full beard, his long jacket, pantaloons, high cloth boots with upturned cuffs and soft conical hat characteristic of the attire of foreign grooms, possibly from Sogdiana, the camel shown with neck stretched forward and head turned, the mouth wide open in a bray showing realistically rendered teeth, palate, and tongue, the powerful body modeled with fur on its knee and under the neck, the strong slender legs with well delineated tendons, its back carrying a heavy load of a stuffed fringed bag hung with cooking pans, a metal pitcher, a leather water pouch and a rabbit and suckling pig, slung between the two humps and braced by two hinged slats of wood and poles on either sides, all beneath a square sheepskin rug crisply and variously striated to simulate large patches of fur sewn together (2)

紐約蘇富比2002年3月20日，編號55

The camel with a visible stress crack to one side of the jaw and restored breaks to the neck, humps, haunches, legs and the tail, the upper section of the mane beneath the neck and ruff to the front legs are all restored and possibly replaced. The rider has restoration to a large V-shaped section of the front of the saddle, to both saddle bags, the ends of the saddle boards and blanket and to the feet, upturned edge and lapels of the robe, and the hat and the arms have possibly been reattached.
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.

This elaborate pottery sculpture was clearly individually modeled and appears to be unique. It shows a degree of observation on the sculptor's part and of detailed representation rarely otherwise encountered on figures of this period. With the bold, confident gesture of the rider, the naturalistic, forward pushing posture of the camel, and the owl's 'at the ready' position signified by its puffed up feathers, the artist captured a dramatic moment of the group in motion. The figure is thus very different from the placid representations of camels usually found among Tang tomb furniture, even among stylistically similar figures like the one from Changzhi mentioned below.

The rider with fur coat worn skin-side out, and his peaked hat, probably represents a Sogdian merchant. A similar hat is worn by a small Tang bronze figure of a Sogdian dancer, included in the exhibition Monks and Merchants: Silk Road Treasures from the Northwest China, Asia Society Museum, New York, 2001-2, and at present on view in the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Florida, which is discussed and illustrated in the catalogue, no. 82. Compare also a standing pottery figure of a similarly attired foreigner, excavated from a tomb of AD 724, illustrated in Treasures of a Nation, Beijing, 1999, pp. 216f; and a camel drover with a pointed hat, depicted together with his animal on a brick from one of the Dunhuang caves in Gansu province, included in The Exhibition of Ancient Art Treasures of the People's Republic of China, Tokyo National Museum, 1979, cat. no. 75.

The appearance of an owl in this contact is highly unusual, although owls can be trained for hunting like hawks and eagles. Falconry was much practiced in Tang China, both by Central Asians and by the Chinese themselves, and falconers holding various other raptors are known from Tang pottery figurines; see, for example, a group of equestrian hunters from an early 8th century tomb near Xi'an, depicted with various animals and a falcon, included in the exhibition The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology, Washington, DC, 1999-2000, cat. no. 170.

In its animated attitude the camel is reminiscent of the running camels from the hunting scenes painted on the walls of Crown Prince Zhuang Huai's tomb in Qianxian near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, datable to AD 706, illustrated, for example, in Out of China's Earth, Beijing, 1981, pl. 258.

In its naturalistic style of representation this group can perhaps best be compared with the figure of a seated camel carrying a woman breast-feeding an infant, included in the exhibition Tang Ceramic Sculpture, Eskenazi, New York, 2001, cat. no. 8, which is similarly capturing a moment of action, as the boy grabs the breast, the woman raising one arm as if to stabilize herself or to hold back the reigns of the camel, whose head is raised as if braying.

Compare also a related painted pottery group of camel and foreign rider, depicted in a completely different, sedate mood, with less detail and slightly smaller in size, excavated at Changzhi, Shaanxi province, now in the Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, and included in the exhibition China in Venice, Venice, 1986, cat. no. 55. That group shows the camel standing foursquare, the rider with similar bushy eyebrows, mustache and beard, wearing a similar pointed hat and fur coat, but fur side out, seated straight upright with one arm raised but empty-handed, on a similar fringed saddlebag, but lacking the fur blanket and other provisions on the saddle.

The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of a thermoluminescence test, Oxford Authentication Ltd., sample no. C102a6.