69 cm.（27 1/8 in.）high

This is an exceedingly realistic un-caparisoned camel，of a type seen all along the famed ‘Silk Route’ stretching from China to the eager markets of Central Asia，Samarkand，Persia and Syria. In the Tang Dyansty（618-907）camels really did live up to the description of them as ‘ships of the desert’ and were used to transport goods，including silk，across the difficult terrain. Camels can be seen as symbolic of the cosmopolitanism of the Tang capital at Xian（Chang’an）. They carried on their return journeys，many of the exotic luxuries from the West that were desired by the sophisticated Tang court. The two-humped Bactrian camel was known in China as early as the Han dynasty（206 BC- 220 AD），having been brought from Central Asia and Eastern Turkestan as tribute. Its amazing ability to survive the hardships of travel across the Asian deserts was soon recognized and Imperial camel herds were established under the administration of a special Bureau. These Imperial camel herds，numbering several thousand，were used for a range of state duties，including the provision of a military courier service for the Northern Frontier. Camels were not only prized as resilient beasts of burden，their hair was also used to produce a cloth admired for its lightness and warmth.

Provenance：Sotheby’s New York，12 June 1984，lot 189Estate of Erna Levi DreyfussA Private Collection，Florida，USA

Price estimate:
HKD：120,000-180,000
USD：15,500-23,200

Auction Result:
HKD: --