Fired in antiquity! Excellent condition. And intact. Terracotta with remnants of original painting. To the best of our knowledge, a similar piece was not shown / sold in Europa for the last 30 years. The deer is a masterpiece and very rare regarding its style, details and pigment. Outstanding pottery “mingqi” representing a Large Painted Grey Pottery Figure of a Deer Grey earthenware coated with white slip and remains of red, black and white pigment. China, Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-8 A.D.) Height: 53 cm. Width: 48 cm. With its front mane extending almost all the way to ground and curved tail, this splendid creature evokes earlier heavily stylized Scythian deer except for the absence of looped antlers. We are left to ponder the influences of art created by early Eastern Eurasian nomadic tribes on Chinese art and what exactly is uniquely Chinese in this creature. The deer is an important motif for the Chinese, symbolizing longevity and wealth. The sturdy deer standing four-square with head facing forwards, ears pricked backwards, eyes with alert expression and flaring nostrils. -For their repertory of forms, Han pottery relied heavily on bronze prototypes, as can be seen in this lot, the exact equivalent of which exists in bronze. Pottery and bronze also share the same decorative motifs that they had in common with painted lacquer wares of the period. Note: It will be professionally packed and safely send in a wooden crate within 3 working days by FedEx. Shipped with Insurance! – A Certificate of Authenticity from Becker Antiques (specialist in Chinese pottery since 1969, Amsterdam) will accompany the item. – The result of the thermoluminescence test, is consistent with the dating of the item, Han dynasty (2150 years old) – Provenance: Property of a Dutch gentleman. Condition: Very good condition. Wear consistent with the age, some loss of color. Please be advised that all ancient Chinese pottery objects had been buried in tombs and are excavated from there. Therefore, they can always have some restorations. Also worth of note is that the item is more than 2000 years old. Important information. It will be professionally packed and safely send in a wooden crate by FedEx. Buyers are responsible for import regulation and restrictions of their own country