A PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF AN EARTH SPIRIT, ZHENMUSHOU


Tang dynastyModeled with a pugnacious humanoid face flanked by large ears beneath hair arranged in a tall spiral, with a knobbed protrusion growing from the forehead, portrayed seated with front hoofs firmly planted on a rocky base, with feathered wings rising from the muscular shoulders and backed by wavy tongues of flame rising from the side, the powerful chest adorned with a collar and painted with foliate scrolls, the back with a serrated fin above a broad curved tail. 23in (58.5cm) high
|唐 陶加彩鎭墓獸ProvenanceDragon Treasures Antique, 8 August 2005Note: The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd test sample no. C106g18 is consistent with the dating of this lot. A similar figure that was part of a pair was sold at Christie's, New York, 20 April 2018, lot 8.