A LARGE SANCAI-GLAZED ARCHER GUARDIAN FIGURE (LOKAPALA), TANG DYNASTY

A LARGE SANCAI-GLAZED 'ARCHER' GUARDIAN FIGURE (LOKAPALA), TANG DYNASTY
China, 7th-8th century. Exquisitely modeled, standing on a recumbent bull over a pierced rockwork base, his right arm bent and left arm extended, poised to shoot an arrow from his now lost bow. The lokapala is dressed in elaborate armor with dragon epaulets and divided breast plate, over a knee-length tunic. His unglazed face is well modeled with a fierce, somewhat hypnotic expression. The head is surmounted by a tall phoenix-form headdress. The figure is splash-glazed in amber, green, and straw.
Provenance:
From the collection of Joseph Rondina, acquired before 1996, and thence by descent to the last owner. Joseph Rondina (1927-2022) was born into a first-generation Florentine-American family in Auburn, upstate New York. Returning to the U.S. after being stationed in Berlin at the end of the Second World War, he studied at the Whitman School of Design before opening Joseph Rondina Antiques on Madison Avenue in Manhattan's Upper East Side in 1957. In the beginning, his interests focused primarily on European 18th-century decorative arts and furniture, over time developing to include Chinese, Korean, Indian, Thai, Cambodian, Persian and Japanese art, bringing a more esoteric and exotic style to the market. His clientele included stars of the stage and screen, royalty, notables, dignitaries, and denizens of the social register from the United States and abroad.
Condition:
Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Old repairs and minor touch-ups as generally expected from authentic Tang-dynasty excavations. Old wear, glaze flaking and crackling, small nicks and losses, light scratches, soil encrustations overall.
Weight: 11.5 kg
Dimensions: Height 97.4 cm
Large, imposing guardian figures
like the present lot were made to stand guard in the tombs of Tang dynasty elite. Those with vibrant sancai (three color) glazes, like the current example, flourished from the late 7th to mid-8th century. One of the earliest tombs to contain sancai pieces was that of Li Feng, Prince of Guo (622-675), fifteenth son of Emperor Gaozu, founder of the Tang dynasty. By the first decade of the 8th century, large sancai figures were included in the tombs of royalty and nobility both at the capital Chang'an (modern day Xian) and at Luoyang, which served as the Eastern Capital in the Tang period. The inclusion of large sancai figures declined significantly following the An Lushan rebellion of 755-763, which had a devastating effect on the empire, seriously weakening the dynasty, and leading to the loss of the Western Regions.
Expert's note:
Based on the size and quality of the modeling of the present lot, and considering the known examples of Lokapala in public collections, both in China and around the world, it is obvious that the current figure hails from the tomb of an elite individual.
唐代三彩護法立像
中國，七至八世紀。護法站在一頭公牛上，他的右臂彎曲，左臂伸展，似乎準備射箭。護法身著盔甲，上龍形肩章和胸甲。臉龐輪廓分明，表情凶狠。頭上戴著頭盔。施琥珀色、綠色和稻草色三彩釉。
來源：
美國紐約Joseph Rondina收藏。Joseph Rondina (1927-2022年) 出生於紐約州北部奧本的第一代佛羅倫薩美國人家庭。第二次世界大戰結束後駐紮在柏林，後回到美國。之後他在惠特曼設計學院學習，於 1957 年在曼哈頓上東區的麥迪遜大街開設了 Joseph Rondina 古董店。一開始，他的興趣主要集中在歐洲十八世紀的裝飾藝術和家具。隨著時間的推移，他開始收集印度、中國、韓國和日本的藝術。他的客戶包括來自美國和國外的銀幕明星、皇室成員、名人、政要和社會名流。
品相：
狀況極佳，小修，有磨損、釉面剝落和裂紋、小缺口和缺損、輕微劃痕、土壤結殼。
重量：11.5 公斤
尺寸：高 97.4 厘米