Superbly modelled painted pottery figure of a semi-kneeling Bactrian camel, shown with gritted teeth and flared nostrils. Hind legs firmly braced, the right front leg strains upward, preparing to rise under the immense weight of the saddle fitted over its humps, which is further laden with supplies, including saddle bags, pilgrim flasks, and game.
Length: 36 cm (14 1/8 inches)
Provenance: Marc Michot Gallery, Bruges
Christie’s London, 14 Jun 2001, lot 450
Thermoluminescence report issued by Oxford Authentication, August 2000
The camel must have come from a tomb or tombs whose occupant was of high-ranking status, as attested by its meticulous sculpting — down to the deeply scored patches of hair — and well preserved remaining pigments.
Compare a similar pottery figure of a kneeling camel, excavated in 1965 from the tomb of Sima Jinlong (d. 484), now in the Datong Musuem, Shanxi.
Superbly modelled painted pottery figure of a semi-kneeling Bactrian camel, shown with gritted teeth and flared nostrils. Hind legs firmly braced, the right front leg strains upward, preparing to rise under the immense weight of the saddle fitted over its humps, which is further laden with supplies, including saddle bags, pilgrim flasks, and game.
Length: 36 cm (14 1/8 inches)
Provenance: Marc Michot Gallery, Bruges
Christie’s London, 14 Jun 2001, lot 450
Thermoluminescence report issued by Oxford Authentication, August 2000
The camel must have come from a tomb or tombs whose occupant was of high-ranking status, as attested by its meticulous sculpting — down to the deeply scored patches of hair — and well preserved remaining pigments.
Compare a similar pottery figure of a kneeling camel, excavated in 1965 from the tomb of Sima Jinlong (d. 484), now in the Datong Musuem, Shanxi.