A FINE SMALL SILVER BOX AND COVER TANG DYNASTY, LATE 7TH/EARLY 8TH CENTURY

of compressed circular form, the cover delicately chased and engraved to the centre with a pair of confronting mandarin ducks circled by scrolling flowering vine on an intricate ring-matted ground, the base chased with a central six-pointed floret supporting flowering stems, the upright sides with a meandering vine scroll similarly reserved on a finely ring-punched ground

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 94.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 42, 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. 94.

Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, 1957, no. 29, figs. 68b, 80r, 93k.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 96.

The box and cover are in very good overall condition with the exception of light tarnishing to the interior.
"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 very similar box was sold at our New York rooms, 20th November 1973, lot 98, and again in these rooms, 14th December 1976, lot 283. Boxes of similar shape but larger proportion and decorated with finely chased and engraved designs incorporating foliate scrolls and birds were found among the gold and silver pieces included in the hoard at Hejiacun, Henan province, illustrated in Tangdai jinyin qi, Beijing, 1985, pls. 71, 74, 76 and 78.