A VERY RARE ARCHAIC BRONZE 'FIGURAL' PLAQUE 2ND CENTURY BC |

of rectangular form, well cast in openwork with two long-haired men locked in combat, each with bare chests and wearing loose trousers, flanked by two harnessed horses in profile and large trees all below a bird hovering above

Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

In overall good condition with expected age-appropriate wear.
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.

Only a small group of plaques of this design appear to be published, including one from the Xiwenguo Zhai Collection, exhibited in Traders and Raiders on China's Northern Frontier, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1995, cat. no. 1, where it is noted that there are two matching plaques depicting the same scene excavated from a Western Han tomb at Kexingzhuang near Xi'an, Shaanxi province; one in the Victoria and Albert Museum, acc. no. M. 160-1951; and another, formerly in the C.T. Loo Collection, illustrated in Alfred Salmony, Sino-Siberian Art The Collection of C.T. Loo, Paris, 1933, pl. XXI, fig. 2, shown together with an other plaque of the same design, but not in openwork