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A RARE GOLD AND SILVER-INLAID BRONZE MYTHICAL BEAST WESTERN HAN DYNASTY |
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
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Description
- Width 5 in., 12.8 cm
the powerful feline cast coiled with its head turned sharply round, detailed with the ears folded flat at the sides above a short mane, its large eyes set under curving brows above a short nose, its neck encircled by a studded collar, its sinuous body extending to a long tail curled under its stretched rear leg, with fine gold and silver inlay defining the details
Provenance
C.T. Loo, Paris, 15th January 1936.
Collection of Martine Marie Pol, Comtesse de Béhague (1870-1939).
Collection of Hubert Octave, Marquis de Ganay (1888-1974).
Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 7th May 1952, lot 59.
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).
Collection of Martine Marie Pol, Comtesse de Béhague (1870-1939).
Collection of Hubert Octave, Marquis de Ganay (1888-1974).
Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 7th May 1952, lot 59.
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).
Condition
In overall good condition with occasional losses to the silver and gilt-bronze inlay, and there are two small holes to the underside, possibly casting imperfection original to manufacture. Some general wear to the surface, as can be expected.
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
Solidly cast in the form of a coiled feline beast, depicted with its legs spreading and its body pressed tightly close to the ground, the present lot belongs to a small group of free standing bronze beasts from the Han dynasty, of which the function is yet to be discovered. The present beast is notable for its heavy weight and the low gravity design, which may suggest it was possibly functioned as a weight or a support.
Related examples are identified as weights, including a gilt-bronze lion of a smaller size, modeled in a very similar posture with the tail curling under its rear leg, attributed to the Western Han dynasty, from the Anthony Hardy Collection, sold at Christie's New York, 16th September 2010, lot 905; and a bronze tiger, from the collection of H. Ginsberg, exhibited in Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst [Exhibition of Chinese Art], Berlin, 1929, cat. no. 69, where it was also described as a weight.
Upon closer examination, a small aperture is visible near the right rear leg of the present animal, which suggests its possible function as a support. Bronze mythical beasts of a similar form are known as supports of Han dynasty censers. See for example a gilt-bronze mythical creature, modeled in the form of a panlong, similarly crouching with legs spreading and tail curled, supporting a stemmed and a censer, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, published in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan qingtongjuan [Compendium of Chinese art. Bronzes], Taipei, 1993, no. 1156; and two in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, pls 203 and 205.
Related examples are identified as weights, including a gilt-bronze lion of a smaller size, modeled in a very similar posture with the tail curling under its rear leg, attributed to the Western Han dynasty, from the Anthony Hardy Collection, sold at Christie's New York, 16th September 2010, lot 905; and a bronze tiger, from the collection of H. Ginsberg, exhibited in Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst [Exhibition of Chinese Art], Berlin, 1929, cat. no. 69, where it was also described as a weight.
Upon closer examination, a small aperture is visible near the right rear leg of the present animal, which suggests its possible function as a support. Bronze mythical beasts of a similar form are known as supports of Han dynasty censers. See for example a gilt-bronze mythical creature, modeled in the form of a panlong, similarly crouching with legs spreading and tail curled, supporting a stemmed and a censer, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, published in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan qingtongjuan [Compendium of Chinese art. Bronzes], Taipei, 1993, no. 1156; and two in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, pls 203 and 205.