Lot 459. Two painted pottery figures of warriors, Northern Wei dynasty. The taller 32cm (12 1/2in) high. Estimate £800 - £1,200. Sold for £ 892 (€ 1,039). © Bonhams

Both figures standing upright with fierce expressions, one soldier seemingly of Central Asian origin carrying a shield with a monster mask, the other warrior clad in armour and a domed helmet, stand.

Provenance: Gisele Croes, Brussels, 19 December 1984 (warrior with shield)
Sotheby's London, 9 November 2005, lot 507 (warrior with shield)
Eskenazi Ltd., London, 2000 (grey pottery warrior; label).

Note: Compare with a related pottery figure, Northern Qi, excavated in 1981 from the tomb of Lou Rui, Prince of Dong'an in Commandery Wangguo Village, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and now in the Shanxi Archaeology Institute, illustrated by R.L.Thorp, Son of Heaven: Imperial Arts of China 1988, no.118.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021