Lot 2
  • 2

A SET OF FOUR SMALL ORDOS GOLD STAG PLAQUES 5TH/3RD CENTURY BC

Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
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Description

each cast as a recumbent stag, one the mirror-image of the other three, with the front and hind legs tucked under the body, the head turned upwards, the antlers in the form of three loops, the reverse set with two small loops for attachment

Exhibited

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 25.

Literature

Gyllensvärd, 1953, pl. 25.

Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 24.

Condition

The four plaques are in overall good condition. All four of them have very light overall surface scratching. One plaque has a hairline crack running across the neck (visible on the upper left plaque in the illustration).
"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."

Catalogue Note

Similar plaques cast in bronze were found in a number of Ordos tombs in Hebei province and Inner Mongolia, illustrated in Zhongguo qingtong qi quanji, vol. 15, Beijing, 1995, pls. 150, 152- 153, and Erduosi shi qingtong qi, Beijing, 1986, p. 173, fig. 121 and pl. 88:1-5. Another set of twenty almost identical plaques but cast in bronze is in the collection of Leon Levy and Shelby White, illustrated in Jenny F. So and Emma C. Bunker, Traders and Raiders on China's Northern Frontier, Washington D.C., 1995, cat. no. 83. Compare also a set of three cast gold recumbent stag, one with turquoise-inlaid antlers, illustrated in Simon Kwan and Sun Ji, Chinese Gold Ornaments, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 77.