A RARE SILVER FIGURE OF A HOUND TANG DYNASTY

crisply cast, seated on its haunches, the sleek animal well-defined with its head tilted upwards in an alert posture, the eyes, ears, double-ribbon collar and long curled tail in low relief, a chased ruff of hair below the ears, all supported on a flat thin base, the patina of a dark gray color, wood stand (2)

The Collection of Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941), New York.
Parke Bernet Galleries New York, 14th-15th November 1963, lot 244.
Collection of the Honorable Senator Hugh Scott (1900-1994).
Sotheby's New York, 4th June 1986, lot 243.

Early Chinese Gold and Silver, China Institute, New York, 1971.
Virginia Museum and the Philadelphia Museum, June 1985.

Dr. Paul Singer, Early Chinese Gold and Silver, China Institute, New York, 1971, pl. 70.
Hugh Scott, The Golden Age of Chinese Art, New York, 1967, no. 24.
Selected Ancient Bronzes from the Collection of Mrs. Christian R. Holmes, cabinet bottom right, photograph by M.E. Hewitt, New York, 1940. (See fig. 1 opposite)

There are signs of repair to the tops of the legs, the back, neck and head. There is also a short crack to the head, and a small hole just below the tail. The surface appears to be repatinated.
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.

A nearly identical figure is illustrated in Eskenazi, Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels, Gilt Bronzes and Early Ceramics, 1973, no. 29 and the present lot is cited as a similar example.  Another closely related figure cast in bronze is in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and was purchased from John Sparks in May 1939 and bequeathed by Oscar C. Raphael in 1941. It was exhibited by the Oriental Ceramic Society, The Animal in Chinese Art, 1968, no. 309. There are several glazed pottery examples of similarly modeled hounds, for a related figure see Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 3, London, 2006, p. 169, no. 1177.