AN IMPRESSED GRAY POTTERY TOMB TILE, WESTERN HAN DYNASTY

拍品描述

AN IMPRESSED GRAY POTTERY TOMB TILE, WESTERN HAN DYNASTY China, 206 BCE-24 CE. The large rectangular brick impressed with cartouches and registers enclosing a variety of motifs including birds, galloping horses, horse-drawn chariots beside pagoda-like structures, and diamond-shaped reserves containing further stylized decorative motifs. The center is modelled in relief with a prominent mask-handle, all framed by cross-hatched diaper ground bands. The reverse is similarly impressed with diamond reserves within cross-hatched borders, while the sides remain plain. Dimensions: Size 115.5 x 42 cm Tomb tiles were used as doors and to line the walls of tombs in Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) China. Cheaper than carving blocks of stone, tiles could be easily formed and then decorated with designs that were stamped into wet clay. They then were allowed to either dry in the sun or were fired in a low temperature kiln. Literature comparison: Compare a related impressed pottery tile in the Musée Cernuschi, Paris, France, museum number M.C. 6829. Another related tile is in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, accession number 3671-D3. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 6 - 31 March 2026, lot 506 Price: USD 16,640 or approx. EUR 14,500 converted. Expert remark: Compare the related form, impressed decoration, and size (125.8 cm high)

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