A FINE AND RARE GOLD FINIAL WARRING STATES PERIOD

cast as the head of a feline rising from a tubular finial, short twisting horns emerging from behind scrolled ears, eyes glaring beneath scrolled brows, the large snarling mouth with strong jaws, two narrow bands with scrolls and beaded borders decorating the finial, two holes at the base of the tube for attachment

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 4.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 3, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 4.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 4.

There are several very minor dents and chips to the rim of the base and there is overall very light wear to the soft surface of the gold.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A closely related gold feline head finial, from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bull, was included in a number of important exhibitions; see Ancient Chinese Bronze and Chinese Jewelry, The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, 1941, cat. no. 95; Exhibition of Chinese Art, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, cat. no. 101; and the China Institute in America exhibition Early Chinese Gold and Silver, China House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 7.

Finials and tubular attachments cast with animals or animal heads were discovered in a number of Ordos sites in Inner Mongolia and Siberia. Although not directly related to the present piece, they illustrate the cross-cultural exchange between the metal-working centres in central and northern China and those on and beyond the present day northern Chinese borders. For more examples, see Erduosi shi qingtong qi, Beijing, 1986, pls. 102-106. Compare also Jenny F.So and Emma C.Bunker, Traders and Raiders on China's Northern Frontier, Washington, D.C., 1995, cat. nos. 37 and 38.