Chinese Sancai Camel, Tang Dynasty

A Chinese sancai ceramic camel sculpture dating from the Tang dynasty. The two-humped Bactrian camel has a mottled rug on its back. It stands on a flat, rectangular ceramic base which is not original to the piece. The lot comes with a packet of information about the piece including provenance, an appraisal, and a dating certificate.

Dimensions are: 23 inches tall X 14 1/2 inches wide, 58.4 cm X 36.8 cm. All measurements are approximate.

Condition: There are multiple areas of significant repair and overpainting throughout. There is a large glaze defect to the head and firing cracks to the legs. The camel is attached to its later base, which has one repair. Age appropriate wear.

Provenance: From a private New York City collection. Purchased from Accent East Gallery in New York City during the 1990s. Comes with a packet of provenance information, an appraisal, and a dating certificate. Similar examples are currently housed in museums such as the Baltimore Museum of Art under accession numbers 1956.148, 1964.27.2, and 1964.27.1, as well as in the British Museum under accession number 1915,0409.2 and the Palace Museum of Beijing. Numerous examples have been sold previously, e.g. at Christie's London on December 4, 2019, as lot 21.

High resolution images can be found here.