Rare support de vase en Bronze en Forme d’un Tigre Dynastie des Zhou Orientaux, fin de l'époque Printemps-Automne, ca. VIE-VE siècle avant J.-C.

sculpté en forme d'un tigre au corps contorsionné dessinant un 'S', ses deux pattes avant levées devant sa gueule grande ouverte, ses pattes arrière fermement ancrées au sol, sa longue queue mouvementée, le pelage de son dos finement incisé de bandes et de rinceaux, le bronze à la patine lisse très foncée, D.W 37/17

Discovered at Hui Xian, Henan (according to Grousset).
C.T. Loo, Paris.

L'Evolution des Bronzes Chinois Archaïques, Musée Cernuschi, Paris, Mai - Juin 1937, no. 42.

René Grousset, L'Evolution des Bronzes Chinois Archaïques d’après l’Exposition Franco-Suédoise du Musée Cernuschi, Paris, 1937, pl. XIV. 42. 
Edward Kidder, Jr., Early Chinese Bronzes in the City Art Museum of St. Louis, St. Louis, 1959, p. 92. 

The x-ray shows that the support is in overall good condition. It is heavily and solidly cast, the bronze patinated to a rich dark brown-greenish tone with minor areas of green. There are traces of light green encrustation on the side. Some of the patina has come off on the lower left jaw revealing the golden bronze below. The inventory number D.W. 37/17 is inscribed in white on the heel of the left foot. The colour of the bronze is a darker greenish-brown tone than the catalogue illustration suggests.
"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."

The present support has been identified as the foot of a bronze vessel illustrated by an example from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, illustrated in Jenny So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York and Washington D.C., 1995, cat. no. 43, pp. 253-255.  As noted by Jenny So, the feline is cast with a flat, inward-facing surface that is bordered by mould marks. Marks below the lower jaw indicate that there may have been a mound with a sprue by which the support was locked to the ring foot of the vessel. ibid., p. 253. 

The present support is one of a a small group of similarly large supports cast in the same shape held in museum and private collections. At least three other examples are known and may have been part of the same set of supports for a vessel of considerable size. The first example belonging to C. T. Loo may be one of the supports that were subsequently acquired by an American collector so may be a repeat listing, see C. T. Loo, An Exhibition of Earl Chinese Bronzes, New York, 1939, no. 63; another example formerly in the Schoenlicht Collection, is illustrated in H. F. E. Visser, Asiatic Art in Private Collections of Holland and Belgium, Amsterdam, 1948, pl. 68, no. 128; yet another example from the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection, Seattle, is published in Kenneth E. Foster, A Handbook of Ancient Chinese Bronzes, Seattle, 1949, cat. no. 102. and a third example from the Pillsbury Collection, is illustrated in Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, no. 23, 1947, p. 113.