Lot 752. A painted gray pottery figure of a mythical beast, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). Length 14 in., 35.6 cm. Estimate USD 8,000 — 12,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

striding forward with head lowered, the mouth pulled back in a fierce snarl, the arched neck ridged with three pointed horns, three compressed bosses along the spine, a pair of stylized wings over the powerful forelegs, the tail raised and curling over the back, traces of white slip.

Provenance: Collection of Alfred Speelman (1907-2004).