A LARGE PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A BACTRIAN CAMEL, TANG DYNASTY

A LARGE PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A BACTRIAN CAMEL, TANG DYNASTY 唐代彩繪駱駝俑
China, 618-907. Well modeled standing foursquare, the long neck arched with the head thrown back, the mouth agape and nostrils flared, the body with simulated tufted hair at the head, neck, humps, and upper legs, the limbs and neck neatly incised.
Provenance
: From the private collection of Dr. Rudolf Leopold, and thence by descent. Dr. Rudolf Leopold (1925-2010) was an Austrian physician and important collector of art. He was born in Vienna and started actively collecting in the mid-1950s, with an early and major focus being works by Egon Schiele, whose paintings were available inexpensively at the time. Leopold acquired a catalog of Schiele's work in 1950 and became enamored with the artist's work, despite the fact that he was distinctly out of fashion. Pieces that he bought for little money would later be worth millions. Other Austrian artists he collected included Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka. A substantial part of his collection, numbering around 5,000 works of art, was purchased by the Republic of Austria and used as the foundation to create the Leopold Museum, of which the collector was made a director for life. Dr. Rudolf Leopold was also a passionate collector of Chinese works of art.
Condition
: Some repair, filling, and touchups as generally expected from authentic Tang dynasty excavations. Losses, fissures, firing cracks, and encrustations, remnants of pigments. Natural wear and weathering overall.
Weight: 34 kg
Dimensions: Height 90 cm
From the 6th century
onwards and throughout the entire Tang dynasty, the Bactrian camel frequently appears among the tomb figures of China. Imported from the Tarim Basin, eastern Turkestan, and Mongolia, it was an essential means of transporting merchants and cargo along the Silk Road into China. The species was highly regarded by the Tang emperors who established dedicated offices to oversee the imperial camel herd. Referred to as the ships of the desert, camels endured hot temperatures and were the essential method of transport for merchants wishing to conduct trade with the oasis cities of Central Asia, such as Samarkand, Bukhara, and Isfahan, along the trading routes of the ancient Silk Road.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 29 March 2022, lot 548
Price: USD 13,860 or approx.
EUR 13,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large painted pottery camel, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling with similar tufted hair. Note the saddlebag and the smaller size (75 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 11th September 2019, lot 743
Price: USD 11,250 or approx.
EUR 12,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large painted pottery figure of a camel, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling with similar tufted hair. Note the saddlebag and the smaller size (76.8 cm).
唐代彩繪駱駝俑
中國，618-907年。駱駝俑站在四方基座上，它引頸張口，後肢直立，前腿略彎，彷彿剛從臥姿直身而起，仰天長嘶。
品相：
Rdolf Leopold博士私人收藏，家族傳承。Rudolf Leopold博士（1925-2010）是一位奧地利醫生和重要的藝術收藏家。他出生於維也納，在 20 世紀 50 年代中期開始積極收藏，早期主要關注Egon Schiele 的作品，當時他的畫作價格低廉。1950 年，Leopold獲得了Schiele的作品目錄，並開始喜歡這位藝術家的作品，儘管事實上他明顯不合時宜。他花很少的錢買來的作品後來價值數百萬美元。他收藏的其他奧地利藝術家包括古Gustav Klimt和Oskar Kokoschka。他的大部分藏品（約 5,000 件藝術品）被奧地利購買，並用作創建Leopold博物館的基礎，這位收藏家被任命為該博物館的終身館長。Rudolf Leopold博士也是一位熱衷於中國藝術品的收藏家。
來源：
小修、填充和潤飾，缺損、裂縫、燒製裂紋、結殼、顏料殘留。整體自然磨損和風化。
重量：34公斤
尺寸：高 90 厘米
拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2022年3月29日，lot 548
價格：USD 13,860（相當於今日
EUR 13,500
）
描述：唐陶加彩駱駝
專家評論：比較相近的模型，以及有著類似的簇狀頭髮。請注意馬鞍帶和尺寸較小(75厘米)。
拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比， 2019年9月11日，lot 743
價格：USD 11,250（相當於今日
EUR 12,500
）
描述：唐陶加彩駱駝
專家評論：比較相近的模型，以及有著類似的簇狀頭髮。請注意馬鞍帶和尺寸較小(76.8厘米)。