AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND LARGE SANCAI-GLAZED POTTERY MODEL OF A CAMELTang Dynasty The camel powerfully modelled in mid-striding pose with its tall hair-lined neck reared back, the head raised and mouth semi-open, the cream-glazed body surmounted by a brilliant green, chestnut and straw-glazed saddle flanked by elaborate bags relief-moulded on each side by a large bulging pack modelled as large grimacing monster mask, surrounded by a raised border suggestive of leather outlined with a pleated scalloped fringe over the muscular legs highlighted by amber-glazed tufts of hair. 84.5cm (33 1/2in) high. 唐 三彩駱駝俑 The result of Oxford thermolumniscence test no.766h49, dated 15 June 1995, is consistent with the dating of this lot. Oxford Authentication Ltd公司熱釋光檢測結果（1995年6月15日，編號766h49）顯示年代與本拍品年代一致。 Superbly modelled with an arched neck and semi-open mouth, the present camel is an exceptional example of a sancai sculpture created during the Tang dynasty. The extraordinary sense of realism, conveyed by the forward moving posture of the creature, enhanced by the strong and slender legs, highly detailed with tendons and naturalistic tufts of dark fur, and the tall humps, gently swaying to either side of the body, shows a remarkable degree of observation on the sculptor's part which is rarely otherwise encountered on figures of this period to this extraordinary degree. The splendid model would have been individually sculpted and extremely expensive to produce at the time. It would have beenmissioned for internment in a burial belonging to an elite member of the Tang society and deemed to be alive for the benefit of its owner. Ancestors in China were deemed active participants in the life of their living offspring, which they could positively influence if provided with continuous care. Miniature universes were thus presented in burials filled with a variety of necessities reproduced as painted, carved or moulded images, which were believed to function like their real counterpart if provided with the correct features; see J.Rawson, 'The Power of Images: The Model Universe of The First Emperor and Its Legacy,' Historical Research , 2002, vol.75, no.188, pp.123-54. Forming an analogical relation with daily forms, these figures embodied important social and ideological aspects of their own time. Since their earliest appearance in the form of food and drink vessels, the array of necessities for the afterlife expanded their scope as society evolved and burials became increasingly closer to the spaces and contents of life. This gradual change, initiated during the Warring States period (475–221 BC), probably resulted from the need to satisfy an underground bureaucracy that checked the deceased's possessions before granting them entry into an undisturbed afterlife; see V.Hansen, Negotiating Daily Life in Traditional China: How Ordinary People Used Contracts, 600-1400 , New Haven, 1995. Possibly the forerunner of