A PAINTED GREY POTTERY MODEL OF A CAPARISONED OX

NOTHERN QI (550-577)

The ox is nationalistically modelled, majestically standing four-square on a rectangular base, modelled with deep chest and broad neck, the body adorned with four sets of tasselled pendants, the proud head adorned with six further bosses. 

20cm. (7.7/8in) high. 24cm. (9 1/2 in.) long 

The result of Oxford thermoluminescence test number C199f80 (10 February 1999) is consistent with the dating of this piece. 

PROVENANCE

Berwald Oriental Art, 12 June 1999 (invoice & label).
The Professor Conrad Harris Collection of Early Chinese Art, formed in the late 1990’s to early 2000’s. 

*Conrad Harris became interested in Chinese pottery in the late 1990s, around the time he retired as Professor of General Practice at Leeds University. Having moved on from a career in medical academia, he took an academic approach to learning about the styles and artefacts of different periods – from the Neolithic to the great dynasties of China. Harris was a highly erudite collector, who travelled extensively in China, pursuing his interest in ancient pottery wares through many provincial museums. He gave regular lectures and, in 2002, gained a Diploma in Asian Art from the British Museum. He was an active member of the Oriental Ceramic Society and, in the 2003/04 Oriental Ceramic Society Transactions, he contributed the lecture ‘Chinese ceramic horses and how they changed’. Most importantly, he gained immense pleasure from seeing his collection take pride of place on the shelves all around his study.

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