A rare and large sancai-glazed model of a Bactrian camelTang Dynasty Powerfully modelled standing four-square with its tall hair-lined neck reared back, the head raised and mouth open as if bellowing, the straw-glazed body surmounted by a brilliant green, chestnut and straw-glazed saddle flanked by elaborate bags relief-moulded on each side by a large bulging pack modelled as a large grimacing monster mask, surrounded by a raised border suggestive of leather outlined with a pleated scallopped fringe, the thick glaze running down the muscular legs, the camel covered predominantly in amber glaze, wood base. 54cm (21.4in) high (2).注脚唐 三彩駱駝俑Provenance: The Chinese Porcelain Company, New York, 31 March 1998John J. Studzinski, CBE 來源：美國紐約古董商，The Chinese Porcelain Company，1998年3月31日大英帝國司令勳章受勳者John J. Studzinski珍藏The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. 666s39, dated 30 November 1993, is consistent with the dating of this lot.Oxford Authentication Ltd公司熱釋光檢測結果（1993年11月30日，編號666s39）顯示年代與本拍品年代一致。The Bactrian camel was brought into China from the Tarim Basin, eastern Turkestan and Mongolia. This species was highly regarded by the Tang emperors who established dedicated offices to oversee the imperial camel herds. The heavy load of pouches, ewers and animal meat, so vividly slung between the two humps of the exquisite camel by means of an elaborate structure of hinged slats of wood and poles, recalls the importance of foreign trade in Tang China. Referred to as 'the ships of the desert,' camels endured hot temperatures and were the essential method of transport for merchants wishing to conduct trade with the cities of Central Asia, such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Isfahan, along the trading routes of the Silk Road. By the Tang dynasty, the tombs constructed for the highest-ranking members of society were decorated in a way that suggested a courtly architectural compound through painted designs of receiving halls, garden settings and official gatherings, furnished with a large number of pottery figures of courtiers, attendants, entertainers, horses and camels. These figures represented of daily life and are found in conjunction with a variety of extravagantly shaped vessels and personal ornaments made of gold, silver, and other precious materials, which reflected the prosperity of the empire. A sancai-glazed camel, Tang dynasty, bearing different goods on its pannier, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3305; another was sold at Christie's New York, 20 September 2005, lot 191. Compare also with a larger but related sancai-glazed camel, Tang dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams London, 8 November 2018, lot 28.