FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF FRANZ JOSEPH I (1830-1916), EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA
THENCE GIFTED TO HIS MISTRESS, KATHARINA SCHRATT (1853-1940)
(BY FAMILIAL TRADITION)

A MONUMENTAL SANCAI-GLAZED TERRACOTTA...

FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF FRANZ JOSEPH I (1830-1916), EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA
THENCE GIFTED TO HIS MISTRESS, KATHARINA SCHRATT (1853-1940)
(BY FAMILIAL TRADITION)

A MONUMENTAL SANCAI-GLAZED TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF THE GOD OF WAR / GUANDI
China, Late Qing Dynasty, 19th century
The god of war is depicted with a grimacing face, with globular eyes, a widely open mouth with teeth and a beard. He is standing on his two feet with his right hand holding a halberd / guandao while his left hand left empty. He wears a suit of armour as well as a helmet, the former being adorned with a mythical beast and a loose knot. This monumental sculpture is made of heavy terracotta enhanced with turquoise blue, red and green plombiferous enamels. It is also to be noted that its feet as well as its left hand are removable and made of bronze. They would likely be later replacement of the original ones made of terracotta. Offered at auction together with a large documentation in French and German dating mostly to the last 1940s including letters, invoices, custom papers and photographs, with also a picture of the sculpture that would have made the pair.
H: 100 cm
Provenance:
- One of a pair said to have been offered by a Maharajah to Franz Joseph I (1830-1916), Emperor of Austria, who later offered them to a renowned actress of his time, also his mistress, Katharina Schratt (1853-1940). It is understood that there is a watercolour by Robert Heinrich Von Doblhoff (1880-1960), a famous Austrian painter, depicting the dinner room of Mrs. Schratt in her mansion in Vienna, Austria, where those two monumental sculptures would have stand;

- A French Riviera Private Collection.

三彩琉璃俑-关帝
中国，晚清时期，19世纪

[INTERNET KEYWORDS] CHINA, CHINESE, QING, ANTIQUE, CERAMIC, PORCELAIN, PAINTING, SCROLL, JADE, DYNASTIE, JAPANESE, VIETNAMESE

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