Painted Pottery Bactrian Camel

Extremely Rare Painted Gary Pottery Figure of a Bactrian Camel. The camel well modelled in a standing position . With head raised in a bray and kinked tail swished to one side. The tufts of hair on his head. Neck and body simply indicated with combed incising and stippling. Two large bags slung over the large saddle cloth fitted over the two humps. Traces of pigment and earth encrustation.

€ 4500,-

Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 A.D.)
Long 32 cm, high 33 cm.

– The result of the thermoluminescence test, is consistent with the dating of the item. Test results will be provided to the winning bidder.
– Extra test: Pre-dose test has been done: Pre-dose test confirms old firing without any kind of artificial x-ray treatments!

Provenance: Dutch private collection, Amsterdam.

A number of related examples of large camels in process of rising exist. See Wenwu, 1992:9, p. 67, fig. 6 for a slightly larger example excavated from Xi’an in 1988. Compare also the two camels and riders in Indianapolis Museum of Art illustrated by Mino and Robinson, Beauty and Tranquillity: The Eli Lilly Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Indianapolis, 1983, pl. 59 and 60. And the pair in Klapthor, Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, 1993, no. 7.

– A Certificate of Authenticity from Becker Antiques (specialist in Chinese pottery since 1969, Amsterdam) will accompany the item.

Important information.

Condition report available

It will be professionally packed and safely send in a wooden crate by FedEx.
Buyers are responsible for import regulation and restrictions of their own country

This object can be viewed in our gallery in Amsterdam.

A D D I T I O N A L   I N F O R M A T I O N

The Northern Wei was a dynasty founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei, which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 AD (de jure until 535), during the period of the Northern and Southern dynasties. Described as “part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change”, the Northern Wei dynasty is particularly noted for unifying northern China in 439: this was also a period of introduced foreign ideas, such as Buddhism, which became firmly established. The Northern Wei were referred to as “Plaited Barbarians” (索虜 suolu) by writers of the Southern dynasties, who considered themselves the true upholders of Chinese culture.

During the Taihe period (477–499) of Emperor Xiaowen, court advisers instituted sweeping reforms and introduced changes that eventually led to the dynasty moving its capital from Datong to Luoyang, in 494. The Tuoba adopted the surname Yuan (元) as a part of systematic Sinicization. Towards the end of the dynasty there was significant internal dissension resulting in a split into Eastern Wei and Western Wei.

Many antiques and art works, both Taoist art and Buddhist art, from this period have survived. It was the time of the construction of the Yungang Grottoes near Datong during the mid-to-late 5th century, and towards the latter part of the dynasty, the Longmen Caves outside the later capital city of Luoyang, in which more than 30,000 Buddhist images from the time of this dynasty have been found.

From Wikipedia