Lot 454. A large Japanese Haniwa figure of a horse, late Kofun period, circa 6th century; height 29 3/4 in. 75.5 cm. Estimate $40,000 - $60,000. Unsold. Courtesy Sotheby's.

of low-fired red clay, standing four-square on long columnar legs, the face directed forward and equipped in cheek guards and a bridle affixed by the upright ears, the reigns draped across the thick neck fringed by a cropped mane, a saddle with a sharply defined upright horn and cantle and secured by a breast collar patterned with zigzags, the cropped tail rising at an angle giving the animal’s posture an alert and distinguished aspect.

Provenance: Collection of Nelson Rockefeller, prior to 1979.

Sotheby's. A Collecting Legacy: Property from the Collection of Nelson & Happy Rockefeller, New York, 18 January 2019, 10:00 AM