拍賣筆記 vol.332 佳士得紐約2026：唐彩繪抱犬仕女俑，存世三例 —— 對比香港松隱閣、京都國立博物館 - Christie’s NY 2026, A Painted Pottery Figure Of A Court Lady With A Dog, 3 Surviving Example, in Comparison with Songyin Hall, Kyoto

這類大尺寸（50cm+）的唐代彩繪仕女俑是唐代宮廷生活的真實寫照，其中抱狗的全世界公開僅存三例：一件收藏在京都國立博物館（參考：唐代筆記 vol.38 京都國立博物館：唐代加彩仕女抱狗俑 - Kyoto National Museum, A Tang Dynasty Pottery Court Lady with Pet Dog）、另一件John Berwald舊藏收藏於香港松隱閣，再一件就是來自倫敦傳奇古董商埃斯肯納齊（Eskenazi）的這件拍品。其中，京都國立、松隱閣的臉型更為飽滿；彩繪保存最完整是松隱閣藏品。

其中狗的姿態朝左是京都國立博物館，朝右是松隱閣，這件埃斯肯納齊的收藏是超上。京都國立博物館認為這種犬的品種被認為是「狆犬」，有文獻記載，日本派遣使節前往中國大唐時，曾將狆犬直接帶到日本。

左：京都國立博物館；中：埃斯肯納齊，佳士得紐約2026拍品；右：John Berwald舊藏、香港松隱閣

唐代彩繪抱犬仕女，京都國立博物館

唐代彩繪抱犬仕女，埃斯肯納齊，紐約2026年拍品

唐代彩繪抱犬仕女，John Berwald舊藏、香港松隱閣藏品

左、中、右的概念，可以追溯到現存於根津美術館出土自殷墟侯家莊的商王武丁墓「左、中、右」三方盉。存世僅有的這三例傳承有序的唐代大型彩繪抱犬仕女俑，或原為一組陳列。

左、中、右三方盉，商王武丁，殷墟侯家莊出土，根津美術館藏

此番估價5-7萬美元是屬於邀請參與的低股價，Max N. Berry的唐代雕塑品味極佳，同場有藍彩馬、打馬球俑馬、天王等同時期高規格作品，未來這個傳承應該會在這批雕塑上加分不少。預估價格區間在200-300萬港元，甚至更高。隨著未來認知提升，這類存世僅有幾例的代表大唐帝國榮光的作品，可看1000萬港元以上。

博古精鑑：Max N. Berry珍藏

唐 彩繪抱犬仕女俑

TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

3月26日 9AM & 3月27日 9AM 美國東部夏令時間 | 現場拍賣 23947

重要中國藝術

估價

美元 50,000 – 美元 70,000

20 ½ in. (52 cm.) high

來源

埃斯肯納齊，倫敦，2001年3月23日，編號c2858

出版

埃斯肯納齊，《Tang Ceramic Sculpture》，倫敦，2001年，第16、49及51頁，編號4

展覽

紐約，Pace Wildenstein藝廊，埃斯肯納齊，「Tang Ceramic Sculpture」，2001年3月19日至31日

Collector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections

A RARE LARGE PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A COURT LADY WITH A DOG

TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

26 MAR 9AM & 27 MAR 9AM EDT | LIVE AUCTION 23947

Important Chinese Art

Estimate

USD 50,000 – USD 70,000

Large-sized (over 50 cm) Tang Dynasty polychrome-painted court lady figurines serve as authentic depictions of palace life during the Tang period. Among them, examples of a lady holding a dog are exceedingly rare worldwide, with only three publicly known specimens in existence: one in the collection of the Kyoto National Museum (reference: Tang Dynasty Notes vol. 38, Kyoto National Museum: Tang Dynasty Polychrome Court Lady Holding a Dog – Kyoto National Museum, A Tang Dynasty Pottery Court Lady with Pet Dog); another formerly in the John Berwald collection and now held by the Songyin Ge (松隱閣) in Hong Kong; and the present lot, previously with the legendary London dealer Eskenazi.

In terms of the dog's pose, the Kyoto National Museum example faces left, while the Songyin Ge piece faces right. This Eskenazi example stands out as exceptionally superior in quality. The Kyoto National Museum identifies the breed of the dog as the "Japanese Chin" (狆犬), with historical records indicating that Japanese envoys dispatched to Tang China brought such Chin dogs directly back to Japan.

The current estimate of USD 50,000–70,000 appears to be a deliberately inviting low entry point for participation. Max N. Berry possesses exceptional taste in Tang Dynasty sculpture, and this sale features other high-caliber contemporaneous works from the same collection, including sancai-glazed horses, polo-playing horse figurines, heavenly kings, and more. This distinguished provenance is likely to significantly enhance the value of these sculptures in the future. A more realistic estimated price range would fall between HKD 2,000,000 and 3,000,000, or potentially higher.

The concept of "left, center, right" can be traced back to the three square he vessels inscribed "Left," "Center," and "Right," excavated from the tomb of Shang king Wu Ding at Houjiazhuang, Yinxu, and now preserved in the Nezu Museum. These are the only three surviving, well-provenanced examples of large Tang Dynasty polychrome-painted court lady figurines holding dogs, and they were likely originally displayed as a set.

20 ½ in. (52 cm.) high

PROVENANCE

Eskenazi Ltd., London, 23 March 2001, no. c2858.

LITERATURE

Eskenazi Ltd., Tang Ceramic Sculpture, London, 2001, pp. 16, 49 and 51, no. 4.

Eskenazi Ltd., A Dealer's Hand, The Chinese Art World through the eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, p. 269, pl. 236.

EXHIBITED

New York, Pace Wildenstein Gallery, Eskenazi Ltd., Tang Ceramic Sculpture, 19-31 March 2001.

Under Emperor Xuanzong (r. AD 712-756), Tang court ladies aspired for ample, corpulent figures, and female fashion trended towards lengthy, shapeless robes and elaborately coiffed hairdos. These developments are often attributed to the ascendancy of the emperor’s favorite consort, Yang Guifei (AD 719-756), who embodied these attributes. This rosy-cheeked court lady tenderly holding a dog not only demonstrates the popularity of this style but also speaks to a new culture of leisure and the increased status of urban women in the high Tang.

Ceramic court ladies holding dogs are relatively uncommon; a comparable in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum was published in M. Medley, T’ang Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1981, p. 50, pl. 40. A similar figure featuring a congji hairstyle is included in a set of three ladies in R. Jacobsen, Celestial Horses and Long Sleeve Dancers, Minneapolis, 2013, pp. 180-81. Also compare the figure sold at Sotheby’s New York, 11 September 2019, lot 523.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C200f48 is consistent with the dating of this lot.