Lot 1268. An unusual amber-glazed pottery figure of a Bactrian camel, Sui dynasty (AD 581-618); 15½ (13.3 cm.) high. Estimate USD 40,000 - USD 60,000. Price realised USD 50,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2013 

The amber-glazed camel is shown standing foursquare on a rectangular base, with mouth slightly open and head turned slightly to the right. The underside of the neck, top of the head, and upper portion of the forelegs are roughly textured to suggest thick hair. The back is laden with unglazed saddle bags centered on each side by a large bulging pack, the whole covered with a blanket and bound with a buckled strap continuing under the tail.

Provenance: Simone and Alan Hartman, New York, before 1983.

Exhibited: A Thousand Years of Chinese Tomb Sculpture: China, World Showcase, Epcot Center, Walt Disney World, Florida, 1983 no. 21.

Note: A slightly smaller camel, formerly in the collection of Mr. Matsushige Hirota, is in the Tokyo National Museum and illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1982, no. 63. This camel is of similar shape and decoration, but with a ribbed pack and slightly darker glaze.