Ancient Chinese, Tang Dynasty Terracotta Ox Pulling A Cart Statuette. 618 - 907 AD. 40 cm Large. Unique Piece.

Ox Pulling A Cart Statuette. - unique piece - Ancient Chinese, Tang Dynasty, 618 - 907 AD MATERIAL: Terracota and pigments. DIMENSIONS: 40 cm Large and 30 cm Height. PROVENANCE: Private collection, Caen. France, 1970 - 1980. CONDITION: Good condition, see photos, intact, only a breakline (rejoined) on the tubular hub caps of the wheels. And one horn of the bull restored. The rest perfect! An extremely fine hollow-moulded terracotta Chinese Tang statuette depicting an ox pulling a cart, on a flat, rectangular base. The animal’s head is slightly raised and across its back is a harness, attached to a two-wheeled cart, comprising wooden boards and a canopy top. Multiple raised knobs decorate the harness, as an imitation of the metal knobs used in real life to fasten the harness to the animal’s back. The statuette displays an incredible decoration, with the original red slip still visible to the figure’s body. Additional white and black pigments, have been used to pick out details, such as the horns, the ears and the alert pupils. Anatomical features are rendered in a naturalistic manner, with much attention given to details. Tang ceramic production reached its peak with terracotta moulded zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures, known in Chinese as mingqi. Such statuettes would have been placed in Chinese graves, to assist, protect and entertain the deceased in the afterlife. Statuettes of oxes pulling carts, such as this fine example, would have been placed in the deceased’s tomb to perform labour in the afterlife. Goods animals used on an estate were expected to carry on such work for their owner even after his death. Notes: - The piece includes authenticity certificate. - The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union and outsite UE) . - The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.