A RARE PAIR OF PARCEL-GILT SILVER 'PHOENIX' HAIRPINS TANG DYNASTY |

of thin silver sheet, each composed of a double-pronged pin terminating in a broad leaf-shaped finial, the openwork design worked in mirror image each depicting a phoenix in flight, grasping between its beaks a ribbon-tied knot, amid dense foliage scrolls, the details finely engraved (2)

Frank Caro, successor to C.T. Loo, New York, 29th October 1954.
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

The one illustrated on the right of the catalogue image with a small break to the reticulated design to the mid-section along the left edge. Otherwise, the pair of hairpins are in overall good condition with expected wear to the surface and gilding and slight bent to the double-pronged pins. Some minor areas of malachite encrustation.
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.

Hairpins of this type represent the luxurious elegance which characterized Tang nobility. Tang court ladies delighted in such ornamental hairpins that were fashioned out of beaten silver. This was a practical way of reducing the weight of the hairpin and to allow it to quiver slightly when the lady moved creating an effect of shimmering richness. The art of hairstyling, which became increasingly elaborate and sophisticated, played a key role in the social life of the court ladies.     See a closely related hairpin, in the Royal Ontario Museum collection, Toronto, illustrated in Homage to Heaven, Homage to Earth, Toronto, 1992, pl. 127. Other related hairpins include a pair in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Tangdai jinyin qi [Gold and silver wares from the Tang dynasty], Beijing, 1985, pls 266-7; one from the Pierre Uldry Collection, decorated with birds and flowers, exhibited in Chinesische Gold und Silber. Die Sammling Pierre Uldry, Rietberg Museum, Zurich, 1994, cat. no. 219; and a third, formerly in the collection of Carl Kempe, sold in our London rooms, 14th May 2008, lot 52.