Lot 3668. An extremely rare blue, straw and amber-glazed buffalo Tang dynasty (618-907); 19cm. Lot Sold 952,500 HKD (Estimate 600,000 - 1,200,000 HKD) © Sotheby'z 2025

The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of a thermoluminescence test, Oxford authentication Ltd., no. C111n23.

Provenance: The Sze Yuan Tang collection.
Sotheby's London, 4th November 2020, lot 234.

Note: This figure of a buffalo is impressive for its naturalistic proportions and artistic pose, demonstrating the animal's innate strength and gentle nature. Its artful modeling and powerful glazing embody the exploratory spirit and prosperous economy of the Tang empire (618-907). During this period, China was highly cosmopolitan, which encouraged the potters to elevate ceramics into an art form.

Strongly associated with agriculture, figures of domestic animals such as buffaloes were commonly crafted standing and harnessed in a position to plough. The reclining pose, however, is uncommon among extant examples. With one leg stretched out and the head turned aside, the present figure captures the buffalo's bucolic character, evoking the essence of a pastoral life. This figure is also exceptional for its generous application of cobalt oxide, which was extremely hard to achieve because the material was imported from Central Asia and demanded kiln mastery. Very few ceramic figures of animals appear with such extensive coverage of cobalt, and the use in this piece corroborates the prosperity of interregional trade and the wealth of its owner.

Glazed pottery figures were first endowed with funeral importance in the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). People buried reproductions of valuable animals and daily objects to accompany the deceased in their tombs, entrusting them to serve the deceased in the afterlife. During the Tang, these wares became considerably richer in colouration and ornamentation to signify status and wealth. Commissioned by aristocratic families, figures like the present were paraded through the city centers at funeral processes to manifest the owner's eminence, both to the spirits and the people participating in the rite.

While most Tang tomb figures show a certain level of standardisation, depictions of reclining buffaloes are scarce, and only two green-glazed buffaloes in closely related posture appear to survive, exhibited by the Min Chiu Society and illustrated in  In Pursuit of Antiquities , Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1995-6, cat. no. 85. Also, compare a reclining  sancai -glazed mythical beast in the collection of the Tenri Sankokan Museum, Nara, illustrated in William Watson,  Tang and Liao Ceramics,  London, 1984, p. 230.

For examples predominantly glazed in blue, see a standing buffalo with a rider included in the exhibition  Tang Sancai Pottery Selected from the Collection of Alan And Simon Hartman , the International Ceramics Fair and Seminar, London, 1989, cat. no. 15; another in the  Freer Gallery of Art, Washington DC, accession no. F1949.26 ; and a standing donkey, excavated in 1956 from Xi'an, Shaanxi, now conserved in the National Museum of China.

source: Siyuantang Collection, Sotheby’s London, 4 November 2020, lot 234

This lying cow has a lively shape, a graceful posture, and its strong muscles and docile temperament are all vividly portrayed. The unique craftsmanship of the body and the sophisticated glazing techniques reflect the innovative spirit and prosperity of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). During this dynasty, China was open to all possibilities. Driven by the times, potters made bold explorations and produced porcelain in a highly artistic way.

Livestock such as buffaloes are closely related to farming, so most animal figurines are standing or equipped with yokes to plow the fields. The prone posture is very rare. This reclining cow has its head tilted to the side and its front hooves stretched out, giving it a rural and elegant feel. The whole body of the blue glaze is also rare, because the cobalt used is imported from Central Asia, and the color requires pure kiln technology, so it is particularly rare and precious. It is very rare to use cobalt blue in large areas on animal figurines. The generous use of the material in this piece not only testifies to the prosperity of cross-border trade, but also reflects the nobility of the person who made the reclining cow.

Painted pottery figurines were first used for burial purposes during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). At that time, people used pottery to replicate livestock and daily valuables and buried them with the tomb owner for use after his death. By the Tang Dynasty, pottery figurines had become more ornate, thus demonstrating the status and wealth of the tomb owner. Sculptures like this lying cow were probably made for dukes and nobles. During funerals, they were paraded through the city along with the funeral procession, showing the tomb owner's prominence to ghosts and gods, as well as to the public.

Tang Dynasty pottery figurines have distinct styles, and it is rare to see lying cows. Only two green-glazed lying cows are known, exhibited in the 35th Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Qiu Jingshe, "Love of Antiques and Min Qiu", Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1995-6, No. 85. Another example is a three-color reclining animal, housed in the Tenri Reference Museum, Nara, cited in William Watson, Tang and Liao Ceramics, London, 1984, p. 230.

Examples of large areas of blue glaze include the two bull-riding figurines, one of which is exhibited in Tang Sancai Pottery Selected from the Collection of Alan and Simon Hartman, International Ceramics Fair and Symposium, London, 1989, No. 15, and the other is in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Collection No. F1949.26. Another example is a standing donkey figurine, unearthed in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province in 1956 and now in the collection of the National Museum of China.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 7 May 2025