
Bruce Maclaren
Global Head, Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy
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US$45,000 - US$60,000
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Global Head, Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy

Senior Vice President, US Head, Asian Art Group
遼 三彩舍利塔
Provenance
A Dutch private collection
An English private collection, purchased in Hong Kong in the 1990s
來源
荷蘭私人收藏
英國私人收藏,約1990年購於香港
The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test sample number C103x32 4 November 2003 is consistent with the dating of this lot.
This model of a pagoda offers a window into a fascinating point of transition in China's architectural evolution. Derived from green-glazed earthenware models of multi-storied watchtowers lou that were used as mingqi during the Han dynasty, this green and amber glazed model of a pagoda ta incorporates various features of the earlier watchtowers. The walk around balconies, dougong bracket supports, and slender footprint are all characteristics derived from the Han watchtower models from Northern China. However the presence of the stupa, its lotus support, and the capping finial herald the the arrival of Buddhist culture and its impact on the visual culture of China. Absent here are the archers and crossbows that populated the Han watchtower balconies, reminding us that although they share a similar profile, the watchtower and pagoda functioned differently.
For more on this architectural evolution, see Guo Qinghua "From Tower to Pagoda: Structural and Technological Transition" Construction History, vol 20 (2004), pp. 3-19.