A LARGE POTTERY FIGURE OF A TOMB SHAMAN, SICHUAN, HAN DYNASTY

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A LARGE POTTERY FIGURE OF A TOMB SHAMAN, SICHUAN, HAN DYNASTY Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 3 August 2026, based on sample number C126j98, sets the firing date of the three samples taken between 1500 and 2400 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot. China, Sichuan province, 206 BC-220 AD. Standing with legs set firmly shoulder-width apart, and separately modeled head, this pottery tomb guardian presents a vividly eccentric and powerful appearance. The figure wears fine robes and protective arm and shoulder armor adorned with roaring beast heads, and is armed with an axe and a writhing snake held close to the body, with a ring-handled knife suspended from the belt. The animalistic features of the head and face—large bulging eyes, bared fangs, and a long protruding tongue—clearly identify the figure as a supernatural spirit rather than a human being. Bovine ears and short horn-like antlers further enhance its ferocious aspect, while human elements such as the topknot, beard, and layered attire provide visual balance. Dimensions: Height 117.5 cm Expert’s note: Jessica Rawson has pointed out that a number of iconographic features seen on Eastern Han tomb guardians were consciously inherited from much earlier funerary traditions, in particular from shamanic figures associated with the Chu culture of the Warring States period. In her essay “Tombs and Tomb Furnishings of the Eastern Han Period (AD 25–220)”, published in Ancient Sichuan: Treasures from a Lost Civilization, edited by Robert Bagley, Rawson notes that the expressive, often unsettling physiognomy of Han tomb guardians echoes the visual language of earlier Chu spirit figures. A striking parallel is provided by a wooden Warring States guardian excavated in 1956 from Tomb No. 1 at Changtaiguan, Xinyang, Henan: with its oversized, staring eyes, protruding tongue, and the dramatic motif of biting a snake, the figure embodies shamanic power and apotropaic force. Rawson argues that such traits were selectively absorbed and reinterpreted in Eastern Han funerary sculpture, lending these tomb guardians an archaic authority rooted in much older beliefs about mediation between the human and spirit worlds. Unglazed pottery figures of this type have been excavated from sites associated with the Bashu culture in Eastern Han-dynasty Sichuan. Characterized by oversized ears, elongated tongues, and the same ritual implements, these figures are generally interpreted as representations of shamans and are thought to have been placed at the entrances of tombs as protective guardians. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related pottery figure of a tomb guardian, dated to the Eastern Han dynasty, in the Chengdu Huatong Museum. A related figure of a tomb guardian, missing its legs and parts of the horns, is illustrated by Robert Bagley (ed.), Ancient Sichuan: Treasures from a Lost Civilization, Seattle Art Museum, no. 118. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 16 April 2026, lot 139 Price: EUR 23,400 incl. buyer’s premium Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject, including the powerful stance, supernatural facial features, and ritual attributes. Note the exceptionally large size of 120 cm. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 March 2007, lot 582 Price: USD 36,000 or approx. EUR 48,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject with similar pose, facial features, and ritual implements. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 September 2008, lot 403 Price: USD 32,500 or approx. EUR 40,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject with similar pose, facial features, and ritual implements. Note the size (113 cm).

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