A GREY POTTERY FIGURE OF A SORCERER Han Dynasty (3)A GREY POTTERY FIGURE OF A SORCERERHan DynastyThe figure standing with his feet apart, his right hand raised to throw a spear, his left hand holding up a shield, his torso covered in chainmail stamped in low relief, wearing an elaborate helmet, later wooden javelin. 42.5cm (16 3/4in) high. (3).漢 持盾陶俑Provenance: an English private collectionPublished and Illustrated: E.Schloss, Chinese Pottery Figurines, New York, 1963, pl.1.The Horizon Book of the Arts of China, New York, 1969, p.92.來源：英國私人收藏出版著錄：E.Schloss著，《Chinese Pottery Figurines》，紐約，1963年，圖版1《The Horizon Book of the Arts of China》，紐約，1969年，頁92Although dressed as a warrior, scholarly publications on the present lot have argued that it is a sorcerer or shaman used to guard a tomb, dressed as a warrior to fight off evil spirits from the four corners of the grave to protect the deceased. There are numerous variations of shamans from the Han period, many of which have been excavated near Luoyang in Henan Province. For a similar figure, Han dynasty, see B.Laufer, Chinese Clay Figures, Chicago, 1914, pl.XV, XVI, XVII.