An unusual painted grey pottery figure of a foreign groom, Tang dynasty (618-907). © Christie's Image 2003

The corpulent foreigner standing with legs braced and hands positioned to hold a lead rope, wearing a fur-lined coat with open collar and left sleeve pushed up to the elbow, and a soft cloth cap, his face well modelled with fleshy features and prominent brows, with traces of dark brown, red, pinkish beige and black pigment and white slip - 16¼in. (41.3cm.) high - Lot 203. Estimate $5,000 - $6,000. Price Realized $4,780 

Notes: This figure with his fleshy face and somewhat caricatured features and his unusual fur-lined coat represents one of the many ethnic groups that could be found working in China during the Tang period, and reflects the sophisticated and worldly Chinese fascination for foreigners and all things foreign.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C101b32 is consistent with the dating of this lot.

CHRISTIE'S. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 18 September 2003, New York, Rockefeller Plaza