A Chinese 'Loyang-style' straw-glazed amphora

Tang dynasty (618-907)
The ovoid body modelled with narrow flared neck and applied with twin dragon handles that bite the mouth rim, covered with a straw-coloured glaze ending irregularly on the upper body.
H. 29 cm

Provenance:
- Cheung King Antiques, Hong Kong (1999)
- Collection Drs. Koos de Jong, Amsterdam

Compare:
- R. Krahl, Yuegutang. Ein Berliner Sammlung Chinesischer Keramik, Berlin 2000, p. 110, no. 87
- R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Vol. I, London 1994, no. 224, p. 137
- [exhib.cat.] Yutaka Mino, Pre-Sung Dynasty Chinese Stonewares, The Royal Onta­rio Museum, Toronto, Ontario 1974, no. 17, p. 30

Note:
The shape of the amphora is derived from Roman ceramic examples or Sassanid silverware, exported via various Silk Roads to China by Central Asian traders.