A SANCAI GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A GROOM, TANG DYNASTY China, 618-907. The tall figure standing atop a rectangular plinth, with hands positioned as if holding reins, dressed in a knee-length tunic with large lapels and secured at the waist with a broad sash, the unglazed face crisply molded with the hair pulled up under a double-knotted cap.

Provenance: From the collection of Pauline Palmer Wood, Chicago, USA, 1969. The Art Institute of Chicago, accession number 1969-787A, gifted by the above. Pauline Palmer Wood (1917-1984) was the daughter of Pauline Kohlsaat and Potter Palmer, Jr. of Chicago. She attended Concord Academy and was active in the Chicago Historical Society. Wood was also a noted collector of Chinese antiques, gifting several important Tang-dynasty Sancai-glazed figures to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Condition: Overall good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, firing cracks, glaze flakes, small chips, old repairs, all exactly as expected from authentic Tang dynasty excavations. The plinth is a later replacement.

Weight: 3,318 g
Dimensions: Height 60 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related groom, described as Western Turkic, in the Mr. and Mrs. Ezekiel Schloss Collection and illustrated in E. Schloss, Foreigners in Ancient Chinese Art, vol. II, New York, 1969, pl. 10a. Compare also a related example from The Collection of Anthony M. Solomon and illustrated in V. Bower, From Court to Caravan: Chinese Tomb Sculptures from the Collection of Anthony M. Solomon, Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge, 2002, p. 127, pl. 43.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1963
Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 37,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large sancai-glazed pottery figure of a groom, Tang dynasty (618-907)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related pose, the facial expression, and the colors of the glaze, as well as the related size (63.5 cm)

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's London, 3 November 2021, lot 105
Price: GBP 13,860 or approx. EUR 16,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large sancai-glazed pottery figure of a foreign groom, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related pose, and the glaze, as well as the related size (63.8 cm)



唐代三彩馬伕陶俑
中國，618-907年。高大的陶俑立於長方形的底座上，雙手如握韁繩，頭上戴帽，身著翻領上衣，腰繫寬帶。面部未上釉。

來源：美國芝加哥Pauline Palmer Wood收藏，1969年；芝加哥藝術學院，編號1969-787A，接受贈送。Pauline Palmer Wood (1917-1984) 是芝加哥 Pauline Kohlsaat 和 Potter Palmer，Jr. 的女兒。她就讀於康科德學院，活躍於芝加哥歷史學會。她也是一位著名的中國古董收藏家，曾將幾件重要的唐三彩陶俑贈送給芝加哥藝術學院。
品相：總體品相良好，大量磨損、缺損、裂紋、釉面裂痕、小磕損，有修復。底座是後來裝置。

重量：3,318 克
尺寸：高60 厘米

文獻比較：
比較一件非常相近的西突厥馬伕，收藏於Mr. and Mrs. Ezekiel Schloss Collection，見E. Schloss，Foreigners，《Ancient Chinese Art》，卷II，紐約，1969年，編號10a。比較一件相近的例子，收藏於The Collection of Anthony M. Solomon ，見V. Bower，《From Court to Caravan: Chinese Tomb Sculptures from the Collection of Anthony M. Solomon》，哈佛藝術博物館，劍橋，2002年，頁127，圖43。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2012年3月23日，lot 1963
價格：USD 30,000（相當於今日EUR 37,500）
描述：唐代三彩俑
專家評論：比較非常相近的姿勢、面部表情、釉面的顏色，以及相近的尺寸 (63.5 厘米) 。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦蘇富比，2021年11月3日，lot 105
價格：GBP 13,860（相當於今日EUR 16,500）
描述：唐代三彩胡人陶俑
專家評論：比較相近的姿勢、釉面，以及相近尺寸 (63.8 厘米)。