Han Dynasty, Circa 202 BC – 220 AD A beautiful hollow-formed terracotta rabbit figure with head turned to the side and ears pricked up; pink pigment to the ears and mouth; short tail curving to the back. 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 civilization 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. To find out more about the Han Dynasty and its art production, see Milleker, Elizabeth J. (ed.) (2000). The Year One: Art of the Ancient World East and West. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. This piece has been precisely dated by means of a Thermo Luminescence analysis carried out 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. The TL certificate with its full report will accompany this lot. Size: L:170mm / W:300mm ; 2.4kg. Provenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong.