A very rare carved stone figure of a drummerHan DynastyDeftly carved as a lively musician standing with knees bent, his right hand holding a drum stick, the left with drum held against his protruding belly, with animated expression and furrowed brow, stand. 49.5cm (19 1/2in) high. (2).注脚漢 石雕擊鼓人像Provenance: Jacques Barrere, Paris, 30 March 1998John J. Studzinski, CBE 來源：法國巴黎古董商，Jacques Barrere，1998年3月30日大英帝國司令勳章受勳者John J. Studzinski珍藏Published and Illustrated: Jacques Barrere, Jacques Barrere Arts d'Extreme Orient, Paris, 1996出版著錄：法國巴黎，Jacques Barrere，《Jacques Barrere Arts d'Extreme Orient》，1996年Vividly depicted in a swaying posture with his legs bent, his torso slightly twisted and his back arched, the present figure is stylistically closely related to a group of pottery figures of entertainers which have been excavated from high-ranking Han dynasty tombs in Sichuan Province. These entertainers have been examined as those specialising in a genre of storytelling whereby their stories were both spoken and sung. The expansion of the Han empire, particularly during the reign of Han Wudi, (141-87BC), provided communication and transport between the court and several non-Han frontier areas, which resulted in free circulation of musicians and other entertainers from the Han urban centres to the mansions of the nobility and the imperial court. Compare with a similar pottery figure of a grimacing drummer from the Sichuan Provincial Museum, illustrated by J.Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China. New Discoveries from the Early Dinasties, London, 1996, p.110.