拍賣筆記 vol.299 覺是軒：5376英鎊售出，北齊加彩陶駱駝佣，邦瀚斯倫敦 - Priestley and Ferraro, A Pottery Model Of A Recumbent Camel With Matched Saddle Sold for £5,376

價格依然偏低，此類在30年前已經幾十萬港元以上的級別。相對於馬匹來說，駱駝佣一直是被忽略的絲路文物。

北齊陶駱駝在中國陶俑史中佔有關鍵而獨特的位置。相較於唐代以後高度程式化、象徵性更強的立姿駱駝形象，北朝時期的駱駝俑仍保留明顯的觀察性與敘事性，反映出動物在實際交通、軍事與貿易體系中的真實角色。此類作品不僅延續自漢代以來對雙峰駱駝的造型傳統，更在姿態表現上展現出北朝陶工對「靜態瞬間」的高度掌握——如伏臥、卸載、休憩等狀態，皆非單純裝飾，而是對行旅與負重經驗的具象化再現。

在北齊這一承接北魏、過渡至隋唐的關鍵時期，駱駝形象尤具文化史意義。它既象徵橫貫歐亞的陸上交通網絡，也映射出北方政權對物資流通與邊疆經濟的高度依賴。伏臥姿態的駱駝，與其背負成套鞍具與貨囊的設定相結合，往往被理解為「行程暫歇」的視覺語言，暗示負載、勞動與延續至來世的現實關懷。此類北齊陶駱駝因此不僅是動物俑，更是理解北朝社會結構、交通體系與生死觀的重要實物證據。

Pottery camels of the Northern Qi dynasty occupy a pivotal position in the historical development of Chinese ceramic figurines. In contrast to the increasingly standardized and emblematic standing camels of the Tang dynasty, Northern Dynasties examples retain a strong observational quality, reflecting the animal’s practical role within systems of transport, military logistics, and long-distance trade. Rooted in Han dynasty precedents, these earlier models often explore a wider range of postures—recumbent, rising, or resting—demonstrating the potters’ acute sensitivity to the camel’s physical presence and lived experience.

Within the transitional context of the Northern Qi, bridging Northern Wei traditions and the emerging Tang aesthetic, the camel assumes particular cultural significance. It functioned as a visual proxy for overland exchange networks across Inner Asia and underscored the economic realities of frontier governance and material circulation. A recumbent camel, especially when equipped with a fully articulated saddle and loads, is commonly understood as a moment of respite rather than mere decoration—an image that conveys burden, endurance, and the continuity of worldly concerns into the afterlife. As such, Northern Qi pottery camels are not merely animal figures but critical material evidence for understanding Northern Dynasties society, mobility, and funerary ideology.

LOT 236

A POTTERY MODEL OF A RECUMBENT CAMEL WITH MATCHED SADDLE

Northern Qi Dynasty

PRIESTLEY & FERRARO: THREE DECADES IN CHINESE ART (1994-2025) (ONLINE)

29 October – 7 November 2025, 12:00 GMT

Online, London, New Bond Street

Sold for £5,376 inc. premium

The naturalistically modelled beast in a relaxed recumbent position with its legs tucked below the body and head facing forward with serene expression, some hair finely incised around the neck, with a separate saddle between the humps carrying sacks, the whole showing traces of pigments. 36cm (14 1/8in) long. (2).

Provenance:

Acquired in Hong Kong, 26 April 1999

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited:

Priestley & Ferraro, Out of Wind and Dust: Reflections of War and Peace in Chinese Art, London, November 1999, no.7

來源：

獲得於香港, 1999年4月26日

展覽著錄：

Priestley & Ferraro，《Out of Wind and Dust: Reflections of War and Peace in Chinese Art》，倫敦，1999年11月，編號7

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no.C299a28, dated 6 September 1999, is consistent with the dating of this lot

本拍品經牛津熱釋光檢測，編號C299a28（1999年9月6日），結果與其斷代相符

The Bactrian camel first appears in Han dynasty pottery and, after the horse, quickly became one of the most frequently represented real animals. See a Han pottery prototype illustrated in Tao yong (Pottery Figurine), Xi'an, 2014, p.26, no.31. The reason for its popularity is not entirely certain, though one suggestion is that a camel, burdened with its load, symbolised ongoing commercial or material concerns extending into the afterlife. By the Tang dynasty, camels were almost invariably modelled standing squarely on all four legs. Earlier examples, such as the present piece, occasionally show the animal reclining or rising to its feet. Regardless of posture, Northern Dynasties potters displayed remarkable skill in conveying the animal's character. In this example, for instance, its serene expression evokes the sense of relief and contentment as it eases the weight from its legs.

See a related pottery model of a camel, Northern Wei dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams Paris, 13 June 2023, lot 51.