A pair of large cloisonné enamel figures of zebras late Qing dynasty sold for 25000 dollars.
(1) Maabar: Ma'bar Coast is an area of the southeastern coast of India. The term is used to refer to the entire coastal zone of the Indian state Tamil Nadu.
Cao Boqi : Haiwai gong hua lu;
(Overseas tribute Donkey)(1255 -1333) (poem)
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Taken from: http://www.xzbu.com/4/view-3247114.htm
…… Last night lights into a single smile….
…… Elite of Heaven and Earth and from a sea corner, animal hair in number of colors, the flowers donkey (Hua-lu). With the messengers, as black ghosts,……….
Note: although I am unable to translate the poem completely a number of authors state that this is a poem about the zebras that must have arrived from Maabar (1).
See: Lien Sung (1310-1381); Yuan Shih
海外貢花驢過 其一（元·曹伯啟)
當年老鶴快乗軒，猶遜花驢食萬錢。昨夜燈前成獨笑，癡兒方誦旅獒篇。
航海梯山事可疑，眼前今日看瑰竒。布韋且莫懐孤憤，秋菊春蘭自一時。
天地精英及海隅，獸毛文彩號花驢。同來使者如烏鬼，還責中原禮法踈。
行臺飛檄敬來王，多少飢膏委路傍。忽見狂人鞭老驥，眼眵成滴背成瘡。