Depicting Asiatic men (probably Sogdian) dressed in colorful robes and distinctive conical striped hats. Each holds a small vase that could serve as a taper holder. A very rare type representing a combination of the exotic and fantastical.
Height: 10 ½ inches (27 cm.)
Figural versions of this type are rare and most always found in much smaller famille verte examples (without holders). A larger version of this type, but in cloisonne, from this same period and formerly with C.T. Loo, was sold at Sotheby’s, New York, September 18, 2024, Lot 24.
Ex: Private American Collection
