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Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 24 August 2026, based on sample number C126m2, sets the firing date of the two samples taken between 900 and 1500 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.
Expert’s note
The present lot is a miniature version of the celebrated Tang-dynasty phoenix-head ewer, examples of which are preserved in numerous important collections and typically stand around 30 cm high. Although no other phoenix-head ewer of comparably diminutive scale appears to be known, rare miniature versions of related ewer types and other classic Tang forms have appeared at auction, often greatly exceeding their modest pre-sale estimates (see auction comparisons below). These vessels and the present lot affirm that, in the finest Tang ceramics, greatness is not always a matter of scale.
China, 618-907. Finely modeled, the pear-shaped body rising from a splayed foot to a slender neck terminating in a phoenix head and a circular mouth, one side set with a curved handle with vegetal terminals. The broader sides of the body are decorated in high relief with reserves enclosing scrolling foliage against a dotted ground, all covered in a beautifully variegated interplay of emerald-green, amber- and straw-toned glazes, stopping well above the foot to reveal the buff-colored ceramic body beneath.
Provenance: Christie’s New York, 19 September 2006, lot 197. The private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, acquired from the above. With an old label from the Hartman’s inscribed with Alan Hartman’s dating for the present lot, ‘Tang’, and numbered ‘CP 947’. Alan Hartman (1930-2023) was an influential American art dealer, who took over his parents’ antique business in Manhattan and established the legendary Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. His wife Simone (née Horowitz) already served as assistant manager of the New York gallery before the couple married in 1975, and together they built a renowned collection for over half a century and became noted art patrons, enriching the collections of important museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (which opened the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013) as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Alan Hartman has been described as the greatest antiques dealer of our generation, and was widely recognized as a world authority in Chinese jade, bronzes, and Asian works of art.
Condition: Very good condition, with expected wear, firing irregularities, including firing cracks and slight warping, minor glaze losses, and a small chip to the rim. Two small holes from sample-taking, now filled.
Weight: 191.2 g
Dimensions: Height 13.8 cm
The design of the characteristic Tang-dynasty phoenix-head ewer ultimately derives from Sasanian metal vessels introduced into China by Iranian merchants along the Silk Road, whether through trade or as diplomatic gifts. Chinese metalworkers and ceramic craftsmen adapted several features of these prototypes, notably their pear-shaped bodies and relief-decorated medallions on either side. The attachment of the elongated handle to the mouth rim of the present ewer, rather than to the body, however, points to a Central Asian and more specifically Sogdian prototype, see a silver-gilt ewer in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, inventory number S-11.
Margaret Medley discusses the far-reaching effect on Tang potters of the opening of diplomatic relations between Emperor Yangdi of the Sui dynasty and the Sasanian Persian Empire (224–651), which led to the exchange of tributary gifts as well as the arrival of Persian craftsmen at the Imperial court in the Tang capital Chang’an (today’s Xi’an, Shaanxi). See Margaret Medley, Metalwork and Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, p. 4.
Sancai (three-color) lead glazing is first documented in China in the seventh century. The glazes were applied over a white-slipped body and fired at temperatures of approximately 700–800°C. The characteristic palette was obtained through the addition of different metal oxides: iron oxide produced amber and brown tones, while copper oxide yielded green; a colorless lead glaze appeared white or opaque cream over the pale body.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related larger sancai phoenix-headed ewer, dated first half 8th century, 32.2 cm high, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1970.1076.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 6 November 2019, lot 13
Price: GBP 10,625 or approx. EUR 16,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small sancai-glazed pottery ewer, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related form, sancai glaze, and size (16.5 cm). Note the absence of the phoenix head and medallions.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 6 November 2025, lot 132
Price: GBP 23,040 or approx. EUR 27,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A very rare sancai-eagle head ewer, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related form, sancai glaze, and size (16.5 cm). Note the eagle head and lack of medallions.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2022, lot 1026
Price: USD 32,760 or approx. EUR 33,000 converted adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A very rare miniature ding ewer, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related form. Note the size (9.2 cm) and different glaze.
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