AN IMPRESSIVE POTTERY FIGURE OF A BULL, SUI TO TANG DYNASTY China, 581-907. Well modeled standing foursquare in an alert pose, the dewlap hanging low and the neck with incised folds of skin, wearing a yoke and the back adorned with a decorative harness, covered overall with an elegant amber-colored glaze and with traces of black and red pigments to the yoke and harness.

Provenance: Dr. Wallace and Alice Smith, San Francisco, in the collection prior to 1971, thence by direct descent to their daughter Wallis Smith. Wallis 'Wally' Smith (1937-2021) was a volunteer for various organizations in California as well as an avid traveler, taking many trips across Asia and Europe. Like her parents, she was a collector of Asian works of art, continuing the collection she inherited from her parents and seeing herself as a guardian of these precious treasures.
Condition: Old repairs and touchups as generally expected from Sui and Tang dynasty excavations. Losses, fissures, and soiling. Minor firing flaws, such as firing cracks and glaze flakes.

Weight: 3,442 g (excl. stand)
Dimensions: Length 17.8 cm

With an associated well-carved and fitted wood stand. (2)

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 19 March 2019, lot 113
Price: USD 21,250 or approx. EUR 24,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare sancai-glazed pottery figure of a spotted bull, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related stance and similar size (20.3 cm). Note the sancai glaze.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 9 July 2020, lot 2865
Price: HKD 250,000 or approx. EUR 31,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A painted pottery model of a recumbent ox, Eastern Wei dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related stance and similar harness. Note the unglazed pottery and slightly earlier dating to the Eastern Wei dynasty (534-550).


隋至唐代公牛陶像
中國，581-907年。陶牛身姿端正，此件陶牛佩戴轡頭，背上遍布裝飾圖案，很可能是祭祀活動中的公牛造型。整體覆蓋著琥珀色釉，並帶有黑色和紅色的彩繪痕跡。

來源：舊金山Dr. Wallace 與 Alice Smith夫婦收藏，1971年前進入收藏，直至他們的女兒 Wallis Smith。Wallis 'Wally' Smith (1937-2021年) 曾是加州多個組織的志願者，也是一名旅行愛好者，曾多次穿越亞洲和歐洲。和她的父母一樣，她是亞洲藝術品的收藏家，繼承了父母的收藏，並將自己視為這些珍貴寶藏的守護者。
品相：隋唐發掘中普遍預期的修復和修補。缺損、裂縫和污漬。輕微的燒製缺陷，例如裂紋和釉面開片。

重量：3,442 克 (不含底座)
尺寸：長 17.8 厘米

木製底座。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2019年3月19日，lot 113
價格：USD 21,250（相當於今日EUR 24,000）
描述：唐代三彩陶牛
專家評論：比較非常相近站姿和尺寸 (20.3 厘米)。請注意此陶牛為三彩。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2020年7月9日，lot 2865
價格：HKD 250,000（相當於今日EUR 31,500）
描述：東魏彩繪灰陶牛
專家評論：比較非常相近的站姿和轡頭。請注意此陶牛為露胎，以及年代為較早的東魏時期 (534-550)。