An impressive glazed pottery sculpture of a bearded, Western Asiatic, camel rider on the back of a tall Bactrian; about 54 cm high, Tang Dynasty. Provenance: From a Private English Collection, and listed on a Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance Limited Schedule, dated 2nd May, 1979. Both camel and rider were restored by John Sparks Limited in 1988, and extant correspondence offered with the lot includes a letter from Michael Gillingham, stating that the repair has gone well. The sculpture was offered in Sotheby's on 15-12-1987 (lot 79) but was unsold at £1500, and returned to the vendor's family. For another example of a standing Bactrian Camel, but without a rider, compare the 54.5 cm high figure offered by Phillips at 10 Salem Road, Bayswater on 18th September 2001 [Lot 370]. For Bactrians with a rider, see for example the Sui or early Tang sculpture in The Royal Ontario Museum, illustrated in 'Tang Pottery and Porcelain' by Margaret Medley [page 25]. Bactrian Camels and Western Asiatic riders may also be found with sancai decoration; see for example the sculpture found in 1957 inside the tomb of Xianyu Tinghui in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province [Illustrated in Volume Three of 'A Journey into China's Antiquity' Edited by Yu Weichao/Morning Glory Publishers/1997]. . Please note that there are several areas of repair and restoration to this sculpture, presumably as a result of the work by John Sparks Limited in 1988. The lot also includes the John Sparks invoice for these repairs, dated 6th April, 1988.