A FINE AND RARE LOBED SILVER BOWL TANG DYNASTY, 8TH CENTURY

the shallow bowl of circular shape resting on a flat base, the gently rounded sides indented on the interior dividing the bowl into six lobes, the wavy everted rim rendered to resemble the undulations of a lotus leaf, the interior of the bowl plain, the exterior superbly embellished with a finely engraved overall design of a scrolling vine laden with heavy fruit, symmetrically arranged with the arched, furled leaves forming foliate-shaped medallions, each enclosing a pair of confronting birds, the base finely engraved with six palmette shaped medallions enclosing a strange mythical figure with fox-like head and hoof feet carrying a small animal under his right arm, all 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. 100.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971. cat. no. 47, 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. 100.

Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, 1957, pl. 29, figs. 43a, 59b, 78n, 80a.

Han Wei, Hai nei wai Tangdai jin yin qi cuibian [Tang gold and silver in Chinese and overseas collections], Xi'an, 1989, pl. 120.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 102.

The bowl is in overall very good condition. Two areas of repair/restoration are visible to the external rim of the bowl, each about 1cm wide. One area is also visible on the exterior. These areas are located almost side by side. The rim is very slightly distorted and has a number of small nicks and scratches. The surface also shows very light overall wear and scratching consistent with age and has some small pitted areas. The surface is slightly distorted and shows very light overall wear consistent with age. The surface of the bowl also has a number of pitted areas some of which are tarnished. The surfaces may have been covered with a layer of lacquer to protect it against oxidation. Two large metal areas of repair are visible to the inside rim of the bowl, these could be contemporary with the production of the bowl, as the highly decorated surface of the exterior appears completely undisturbed. The only inconsistency to the decoration being an area to the external rim measuring approx 2cm where the incised decoration is rather shallow in comparison to the rest of the decorated rim which would suggest an area of restoration. It is not possible to say when this restoration was carried out and if it is indeed contemporary with the production of the bowl.
"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."

It is rare to find silver bowls of this six-lobed form and even rarer are those with a rim fashioned to resemble the natural undulations of a lotus leaf. No other similar example appears to be recorded, although the wavy form is reminiscent of the famous poly-lobed silver bowl, excavated in 1970 from Prince Bin's treasure hoard at Hejiacun, Shaanxi prvince, illustrated in Han Wei and Christian Deydier, Ancient Chinese Gold, Paris, 2001, pls. 560-561. A silver cover in the form of an inverted lotus leaf, with the edge of the leaf curled up in a wave-like manner, excavated at Dingmaoqiao, Jiangsu province in 1982, is also related in shape to this bowl. This cover can be found in many publications including Tangdai jinyin qi, Beijing, 1985, pl. 229. Further examples of religious objects adorned with lotus petals and with lotus-leaf covers are recorded; for example, see a silver salt holder excavated in 1987 from the Famen Monastery Pagoda at Fufeng county, Shaanxi province, included in Han and Deydier, op.cit., pl. 633; a pair of silver water bowls in the form of lotuses with the foot in the form of large lotus leaves, also from the treasures found in the underground crypt of the Famen Monastery Pagoda, is illustrated ibid., pl. 669.  

Mythical figures such as the animal-headed spirit on this bowl are rare on Tang secular silverwork which tends to be decorated with more worldly scenes of daily life such as hunting or performances of music and dancing. The fabulous creature in the centre of the base is closely related to a design of mythical creatures among floral scrolls found on another very fine bowl in the Pierre Uldry Collection and formerly the Frederick M. Mayer Collection, included in the exhibition Chinesisches Gold und Silber, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, 1994, cat. no.143. However, the style of the chased decoration on a ground of ring matting, seen on this vessel, is comparable with the decoration found on a silver bowl, also from the Hejiacun excavation, published ibid., pl. 537.