拍賣筆記 vol.351 佳士得紐約2026：25萬港元售出，唐三彩加藍彩繪馬倌俑 - Christie’s NY 2026, A Painted, Blue And Sancai-Glazed Pottery Figure Of A Groom, Eskenazi, Max N. Berry, Sold for US$31,750

此件為極罕見的唐代彩繪藍釉外國馬倌俑（高35 cm），最大亮點在於豹紋褲的彩繪細節與鈷藍釉的運用。豹皮紋樣在唐代胡人俑中極為稀少，展現唐代長安胡人異域服飾的真實風貌（受西域/波斯影響）。藍釉則需進口鈷料，燒成難度高，存世三彩加藍例本就珍稀。大阪東洋陶瓷博物館開館2017年曾展出開館35週年紀念展，封面就是類似的胡人俑。

這件拍品尺寸適中、品相佳（有Oxford熱釋光檢測支持），來源明確（Eskenazi 2004 → Max N. Berry珍藏），卻以US$31,750（約HK$248,000）成交，遠高於估價15,000–25,000美元，但相對於同場另一件狩獵俑（逾82,000美元），仍顯「低估」。主要原因是專題市場窄：狩獵/騎馬俑更具動感與故事性，藏家偏好更強；而馬倌俑雖文化價值高（反映唐代 cosmopolitanism），但題材較靜態，國際頂級買家追捧度稍遜。

類似豹紋裝飾亦見於香港松隱閣（Songyin Hall）收藏的一對John Berwald舊藏大型加彩陶馬（高約1m，曾於香港城市大學博物館展出），馬鞍披飾類似豹紋，進一步證明此類異域元素在唐代高端陪葬品中的珍貴性。整體而言，此件兼具藝術、歷史與稀有度，成交價仍有上升空間，屬於「被低估的優質唐俑」。

博古精鑑：Max N. Berry珍藏

唐三彩加藍彩繪馬倌俑

TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

成交價

美元 31,750

估價

美元 15,000 – 美元 25,000

估價不包括買家酬金。成交總額為下鎚價加以買家酬金及扣除可適用之費用。

拍品終止拍賣: 

2026年3月27日

13 ¾ in. (35 cm.) high

來源

埃斯肯納齊，倫敦，2004年12月17日

Collector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections

A RARE PAINTED, BLUE AND SANCAI-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A GROOM

TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

Price realised

USD 31,750

Estimate

USD 15,000 – USD 25,000

Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, and applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see Section D of the Conditions of Sale for full details.

Closed: 

27 Mar 2026

A RARE PAINTED, BLUE AND SANCAI-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A GROOM

TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

13 ¾ in. (35 cm.) high

PROVENANCE

Eskenazi Ltd., London, 17 December 2004.

The Tang dynasty marked a time when China engaged widely with countries throughout East, Southeast, and South Asia, facilitated by the development of the Silk Routes. Pottery figures of grooms, such as the present example, offer a fascinating view of the foreigners that were present in Chang’an in Tang times. It was fashionable in the seventh and eighth centuries to employ foreign grooms, and many pottery figures of camels are accompanied by foreign grooms.

The present figure of a groom, with wide beard that frames the face, depicts the figure in the action of pulling on the reins of a horse or camel. The jacket is decorated in sancai glazes but also includes the use of a cobalt blue glaze on the sleeves and the long jacket that extends down the back. Most extraordinary is the depiction of the trousers made from leopard skin, painted in pigments on the unglazed pottery, giving us a glimpse of the exotic attire worn by foreign visitors at the time. Another rare painted figure of a foreign groom with ‘leopard-skin’ trousers is in the Qingcheng Museum and illustrated by A. Betrand and Huei-chung Tsao in “Tang China: A Cosmopolitan Dynasty,” Orientations, Hong Kong, Vol. 56, no. 1, January/February 2025, p. 18, no. 10.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C102w58 is consistent with the dating of this lot.