- 28
A GILT-BRONZE BEAR-FORM SUPPORT HAN DYNASTY
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- bronze
hollow-cast in a half-kneeling position with fore paws resting on its knees and its jaw open, the body finely incised with hair markings and small openings where turquoise was inlaid, with a D-shaped aperture in the top of the head and a circular opening in the base, fitted wood stand (2)
Provenance
Collection of Adolphe Stoclet prior to 1933.
An old Japanese collection before the 1970s and thence by descent.
An old Japanese collection before the 1970s and thence by descent.
Exhibited
Osaka Municipal Museum, 1975.
Literature
Umehara Sueji, Obei Shucho Shina Kodo Seika (Selected Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Europe and America), Osaka, 1933, vol. 6, no. 62b.
Condition
The surface has been cleaned with traces of malachite encrustation. There is a 'U'-shaped chip on the aperture in the top of the bear head. The punctures on the body were originally filled with inlays.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Bear-form supports of this type were made as legs for vessels (probably for a lian, zun or pan vessel). Compare similar gilt-bronze bears supporting a lian wine container and a pan tray, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua dacidian: qing tong juan (Grand Dictionary of Gems of Chinese Cultural Relics: Bronzes), Shanghai, 1995, p. 334, no. 1199.