Well modelled unglazed pottery model of a foreign groom represented with his arms holding the reins of a horse or camel.

He is wearing a three-quarter-length coat over trousers and pointed boots; the coat is open on the sides and presents a very well-preserved painted decoration. He wears a pointed hat of woven texture with two large flat braids at the back. The face features are very characteristic and clearly non-Chinese with high cheeks, a large mouth and a rather prominent nose.

During the Tang Dynasty figurines of foreigners were often placed in tombs reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of society and the many foreigners who entered China across the Silk Road.

Conditions: Very good, with limited restorations.

Ref:
« Compagnons d�éternité » by J.-P. Desroches - Trésors du Musée Guimet
« Chinese ceramics » by He Li
« Foreigners in Ancient Chinese Art » by Ezekiel Schloss � China House Gallery, 1969