Pottery Ox, China Northern Qi dynasty (550-577 AD) Retaining the original red and white pigment! Exceptionally large and rare piece. Naturalistically modelled standing confidently four-square on a rectangular base with detailed facial features, with rounded eyes, flaring nostrils, and an open mouth beneath a pair of pricked ears. This type of animal figure would have been produced in moulds and then individually finished. The coloured pigments were applied cold after the firing Note: Pottery models of animals were incorporated in burials within a complex of furnishing, which included figures of courtiers, soldiers, attendants, as well as scenes of daily entertainment, aimed at sustaining the ancestors in their afterlife. Related pottery figures of oxen, Tang dynasty, are illustrated by Qin Tingyu, Zhongguo Gudai Taosu Yishu, Shanghai, 1955, pl.50; see another example, Tang dynasty, illustrated by M.Prodan, The Art of the T'ang Potter, London, 1960, pl.61, from the Eumorfopoulos collection, now in the British Museum, London. Compare with a related pottery model of an ox, Tang dynasty, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 9 November 2016, lot 286. Note: It will be professionally packed and safely sent in a wooden crate within 3 working days by FedEx. Shipped with Insurance! Our Guarantee: The above item is guaranteed to be of the time period and condition as described, has been purchased legally and is legal to buy and sell under all international laws to cultural patrimony. - All items legal to buy/sell under The Netherlands covering cultural patrimony, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. - The result of the thermoluminescence test, is consistent with the dating of the item, Northern Qi dynasty. Sampling in 3 different points - The result of the Pre-dose test is consistent with the dating of the item and the test confirms old firing without any kind of artificial x-ray treatments! Provenance: private collection, The Netherlands Three Kingdoms, Jin Dynasty, Northern and Southern Dynasties (Six Dynasties) 220 – 589 A.D. During the Northern dynasties period, increased contact between the people of China and the northwest frontier brought about cultural exchange between the two regions. Pottery sculptures of this period show distinct influence from outside China. Sculptures of camel become increasingly common: figurines of foreigner, civil officials, horses, and warriors. Equestrian themes showing warriors mounted on armoured horses also prevailed. The types of burial figurines used during the Northern Qi dynasty were similar to those of the Northern and Eastern Wei dynasties. Warriors, attendants, musicians, dancers, and tomb guardians in the form of divine beasts constitute the bulk of the figurines but particularly interesting are the armoured horses and mounted musicians among the tomb master’s guards of honour. - A Certificate of Authenticity from Becker Antiques (specialist in Chinese pottery since 1969, Amsterdam) will accompany the item. Condition: Very good condition. Original pigment. Wear consistent with the age, some loss of color. Please be advised that all ancient Chinese pottery objects had been buried in tombs and are excavated from there. Therefore, they can always have some restorations. Also worth of note is that the item is more than 1600 years old. Important information. The seller guarantees that he is entitled to ship this lot. It will be professionally packed and safely sent in a wooden crate by FedEx. Buyers are responsible for import regulation and restrictions of their own country #ExclusiveCabinetofCuriosities