Yuan Dynasty or earlier The figure with large circular eyes, broad nose and beard beneath a pointed cap, kneeling with long flowing robes slightly opened at the chest, his arms holding an animal, possibly a serpent, the stone of mushroom-grey tone with dark brown patches. 8.4cm (3 1/4in) high.
元或更早 白褐玉雕胡人像
Foreigners played key roles in China's trade and culture from the Tang dynasty onward. Tang sancai pottery often depicts Central Asian or Middle Eastern merchants kneeling with goose-shaped wine containers, similar to the present lot, reflecting their role in the luxury trade. Compare with a sancai glazed figure of a wine seller, Tang dynasty, in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (acc.no. B60P521). See also another figure of a wine merchant, Tang dynasty, illustrated by M.Prodan, The Tang Potter, London, 1960, p.96. Perhaps the best-known sancai-glazed figure of a wine merchant is in the Seattle Art Museum, illustrated in Ibid., p.135.
See also jade figures of foreigners with peaked caps and round eyes, Tang dynasty, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections of the Palace Museum: Jade, 5, Beijing, 2011, pp.33-34. See also a related jade figure of a foreign tribute bearer, Tang dynasty, illustrated by B.Morgan, Chinese Jades from the Kirknorton Collection: Naturalism & Archaism, London, 1995, no.16. See also a jade carving of a foreigner with an elephant, Yuan dynasty, illustrated in Ancient Jade of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, 2003, p.132, no.144.
Compare with a related rare white and pale brown jade figure of a seated foreigner, Tang/Ming dynasty, which was sold at Christie's New York, 13 September 2018, lot 903.
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