Ca. 202 BC-220 AD. Han dynasty. A hollow-formed terracotta rabbit figurine with a black pelt and coral-pink pigmentation on the nose and in the inner ears. The rabbit is depicted sitting back slightly on its back legs in an alert posture. In the Chinese tradition, the rabbit is the luckiest of animals and symbolises elegance, beauty and mercy. The Han Dynasty, which ruled between 202 BC-220 AD, brought great prosperity and stability to China, reigning over a golden age of classical Chinese civilisation during which China saw major advances including the widespread development of a monetary economy and the invention of paper, as well as much progress in the decorative arts. Good condition. This piece has been precisely dated having undergone Thermo Luminescence analysis by Ralf Kotalla, an independent German Laboratory. The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. Its TL certificate with full report will also accompany this lot. For more information about the Han Dynasty, see Milleker, Elizabeth J. (ed.) (2000). The Year One: Art of the Ancient World East and West. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of ArtSize: L:255mm / W:230mm ; 2.45kg. Provenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong.