This finely modelled straw-glazed ceramic figure represents a standing official from the Sui dynasty (581–618 CE), a transitional and formative period in Chinese imperial art. The figure is shown in formal court attire, with a prominent breastplate and pleated trousers tied just below the knee. His hands are held respectfully at the chest, conveying a sense of decorum, status, and restraint.
The cream-coloured straw glaze (禾釉) is applied with great care, pooling gently in the recesses and lending the surface a warm, lustrous finish. This glaze, a hallmark of early Chinese stoneware, demonstrates the refined techniques and aesthetic sensitivity characteristic of the Sui period. It foreshadows the developments in high-fired ceramics that would reach new heights in the Tang dynasty.
The figure's confident pose and naturalistic facial features suggest both artistic sophistication and the importance of ceremonial roles in early imperial governance.
A thermoluminescence test from Oxford Authentication Ltd. (report no. C124k9) confirms the figure’s antiquity, consistent with the proposed Sui dynasty date.
A closely comparable pottery figure of a guardian covered in similar straw-glaze, 38.2 cm high, dated to the Sui dynasty, is in the Brooklyn Museum, accession number 34.5652.
此件隋代陶文官俑，塑形精緻，神情莊重，展現了隋代陶藝的高超工藝與對人物氣質的細膩捕捉。俑身著朝服，胸飾甲冑，腿部著褶裙，束帶於膝上，雙手恭敬合於胸前，姿態穩重，氣宇不凡，展現出古代文官的威儀與風範。
通體施以柔潤的禾釉（即稻草釉），釉色乳白泛黃，於細部自然匯聚，凸顯陶體紋理與衣褶起伏，釉面呈現溫潤光澤。禾釉為中國早期高溫釉陶之重要代表，隋代為其發展關鍵期，對後世唐代三彩及青釉陶器有深遠影響。
值得一提的是，美國布魯克林博物館（Brooklyn Museum）亦藏有一件風格相似之禾釉陶力士俑，器高38.2公分，同樣斷代為隋代，館藏編號為34.5652，突顯此類陶塑的稀有與藝術價值。
Height | 高度： 38.2 cm
Provenance | 來源： 英國倫敦私人收藏 Private Collection, London
TL Test | 熱釋光測試： Oxford Authentication Ltd., report no. C124k9
This finely modelled straw-glazed ceramic figure represents a standing official from the Sui dynasty (581–618 CE), a transitional and formative period in Chinese imperial art. The figure is shown in formal court attire, with a prominent breastplate and pleated trousers tied just below the knee. His hands are held respectfully at the chest, conveying a sense of decorum, status, and restraint.
The cream-coloured straw glaze (禾釉) is applied with great care, pooling gently in the recesses and lending the surface a warm, lustrous finish. This glaze, a hallmark of early Chinese stoneware, demonstrates the refined techniques and aesthetic sensitivity characteristic of the Sui period. It foreshadows the developments in high-fired ceramics that would reach new heights in the Tang dynasty.
The figure's confident pose and naturalistic facial features suggest both artistic sophistication and the importance of ceremonial roles in early imperial governance.
A thermoluminescence test from Oxford Authentication Ltd. (report no. C124k9) confirms the figure’s antiquity, consistent with the proposed Sui dynasty date.
A closely comparable pottery figure of a guardian covered in similar straw-glaze, 38.2 cm high, dated to the Sui dynasty, is in the Brooklyn Museum, accession number 34.5652.
此件隋代陶文官俑，塑形精緻，神情莊重，展現了隋代陶藝的高超工藝與對人物氣質的細膩捕捉。俑身著朝服，胸飾甲冑，腿部著褶裙，束帶於膝上，雙手恭敬合於胸前，姿態穩重，氣宇不凡，展現出古代文官的威儀與風範。
通體施以柔潤的禾釉（即稻草釉），釉色乳白泛黃，於細部自然匯聚，凸顯陶體紋理與衣褶起伏，釉面呈現溫潤光澤。禾釉為中國早期高溫釉陶之重要代表，隋代為其發展關鍵期，對後世唐代三彩及青釉陶器有深遠影響。
值得一提的是，美國布魯克林博物館（Brooklyn Museum）亦藏有一件風格相似之禾釉陶力士俑，器高38.2公分，同樣斷代為隋代，館藏編號為34.5652，突顯此類陶塑的稀有與藝術價值。
Height | 高度： 38.2 cm
Provenance | 來源： 英國倫敦私人收藏 Private Collection, London
TL Test | 熱釋光測試： Oxford Authentication Ltd., report no. C124k9
