Circa 202 BC–220 AD A rare and joyous terracotta figure of an entertainer in the form of a bulbous bellied drummer with large breasts, one foot raised, he is crouching upon a small chair or plinth, supporting a large drum on his left knee, his right hand holding a drumstick which has been represented as mid-stroke; both arms adorning stylised aands, he fashions an elaborate headdress or coiffure. His face, in a joyous, happy expression, with his mouth open and protruding tongue, his conical shaped cheeks, rounded, almostical in shape, his forehead formed with rows of wrinkles. Red pigment remaining. Terracotta figures of performers were popular in Sichuan province during the Eastern Han Dynasty 25-220 AD. These were popular tomb figures as they provided entertained in the afterlife for the deceased. For similar see Christie’s September 19, 2006, LOT 183, , June 25, 2014, LOT 6274. This piece has been precisely dated by means of a Thermo Luminescence analysis carried out by Ralf Kotalla, an independent German Laboratory. The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. The TL certificate with its full report will apany this lot. Size: L:620mm / W:410mm; 14.3kg Provenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong.