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A RARE ARCHAIC BRONZE DAGGER AND SCABBARD EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD |
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Length 14 1/8 in., 35.7 cm
the openwork handle crisply cast in relief with a highly stylized dragon design formed by intricate angular scrollwork, interspersed with multiple circular sockets for turquoise inlay, the long blade with a median ridge and beveled edges tapering toward a pointed tip, the openwork scabbard decorated to one side with five pairs of confronting deer-like animals above a human mask, the other side with repetitive arrow heads interrupted by a vertical band, all accentuated with further sockets for inlay, the interior set with a crimson velvet liner (2)
Provenance
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).
Condition
The blade with approx. 1/4 of the top section reattached, and there are two crescent-shaped restored chips to either edge near the handle, the larger measuring approx. 1.3 cm wide. Both the handle and the scabbard with scattered losses to the relief design. The latter further with a small circular restoration to the edge on one side near the bottom, and areas of black accretions to the surface.
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
The present lot belongs to a small group of swords that were popular in the Northern regions of ancient China, recognizable by its characteristic intricate openwork handle adorned with turquoise inlay. See a closely related bronze sword, missing its scabbard, attributed to the Spring and Autumn period, excavated in Anyingpu, Huailai county, Hebei province, published in Zheng Shaozong, 'Zhongguo beifang qingtong duanjian de fenqi ji xingzhi yanjiu [Study of the short swords from the Northern regions in China]', Wenwu, no. 2, Beijing, 1984, pl. 5, no. 8, where the author notes swords of this particular type were found in the Rehe mountain regions and Yanbei regions, and were heavily influenced by the sword styles from the central region during the Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn period.
Compare a very similar bronze sword, without its scabbard, from the collection of J.W. Alsdorf, exhibited in Arts of the Chou Dynasty, Stanford University Museum, Stanford, 1958, cat. no. 159; and another, without its scabbard, but with turquoise inlay preserved, exhibited in The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, 2000, cat. no. 40. See also a related bronze sword of a smaller size, with a similarly decorated handle but in low relief, from the David David-Weill Collection, sold in our Paris rooms, 16th December 2015, lot 47; and a further example, with the handle cast with a intertwined dragon design, together with a silver scabbard similarly decorated, formerly in the Sakamoto Collection, published in Takayasu Higuchi and Minao Hayashi, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Sakamoto Collection, Tokyo, 2002, pl. 15.
Compare a very similar bronze sword, without its scabbard, from the collection of J.W. Alsdorf, exhibited in Arts of the Chou Dynasty, Stanford University Museum, Stanford, 1958, cat. no. 159; and another, without its scabbard, but with turquoise inlay preserved, exhibited in The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, 2000, cat. no. 40. See also a related bronze sword of a smaller size, with a similarly decorated handle but in low relief, from the David David-Weill Collection, sold in our Paris rooms, 16th December 2015, lot 47; and a further example, with the handle cast with a intertwined dragon design, together with a silver scabbard similarly decorated, formerly in the Sakamoto Collection, published in Takayasu Higuchi and Minao Hayashi, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Sakamoto Collection, Tokyo, 2002, pl. 15.