11th Apr, 2024 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
70
A MASSIVE GILT-BRONZE TAOTIE MASK FITTING WITH RING HOOK, PUSHOU, HAN DYNASTY
Sold for €13,000
including Buyer's Premium
China, 206 BC-220 AD. Heavily cast with crisp details in high relief, the large hook protruding from beneath its round nose with a raised bridge between its bulging eyes. A triangle stylized-ruyi central on the forehead with scrolling designs along the sides and a long rectangular strut extending out from behind for mounting.
Provenance: The present lot was part of an important collection of archaic Chinese bronzes, built by three generations of the Chasseloupe-Laubat family in France. Prosper de Chasseloup-Laubat (1805-1873), was a prominent aristocrat, politician, and art collector who became Minister of the French Navy and the Colonies under Napoleon III, traveling extensively through all of Asia. His son Louis (1863-1954), an engineer in ship design, significantly expanded the family collection, also during his frequent travels throughout Asia. François (1904-1968), Prosper’s grandson, eventually inherited the family passion and became a renowned explorer and participant in the Hoggar Expedition. He was the first French explorer to reach English Malaysia, bringing back previously unpublished documents on the isolated Sakai tribes. As a collector, François Chasseloupe-Laubat was advised by Jean Claude Moreau-Gobard, an important French collector and dealer specializing in Asian art.
Published: J.C. Moreau-Gobard, Chine – Terres cuites, 1 July 1965, p. 2, no. 17.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Ancient wear, losses, nicks, scratches, flaking to gilt, casting flaws.
French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel Nr. 243097 dated 20 September 2023 has been granted and a copy accompanies this lot.
Weight: 1,500 g
Dimensions: Height 13 cm, Width 14 cm, Depth 16.4 cm
This impressive door ring holder (pushou) in the form of a taotie mythological beast mask would support a large ring from its lower section and be positioned in the centre of doors or gateways. Its size is evidence of the grandeur of the palace or mausoleum building it once adorned. Its fierce appearance, with bulging eyes, was believed to ward off evil spirits.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related gilt-bronze taotie mask fitting, dated 8th century BC, 11.6 cm wide, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 50.26.8a.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 September 2023, lot 908
Price: USD 37,800 or approx. EUR 34,500 converted at the time of writing
Description: A bronze taotie mask fitting with ring handle, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Note the size (22.9 cm).
China, 206 BC-220 AD. Heavily cast with crisp details in high relief, the large hook protruding from beneath its round nose with a raised bridge between its bulging eyes. A triangle stylized-ruyi central on the forehead with scrolling designs along the sides and a long rectangular strut extending out from behind for mounting.
Provenance: The present lot was part of an important collection of archaic Chinese bronzes, built by three generations of the Chasseloupe-Laubat family in France. Prosper de Chasseloup-Laubat (1805-1873), was a prominent aristocrat, politician, and art collector who became Minister of the French Navy and the Colonies under Napoleon III, traveling extensively through all of Asia. His son Louis (1863-1954), an engineer in ship design, significantly expanded the family collection, also during his frequent travels throughout Asia. François (1904-1968), Prosper’s grandson, eventually inherited the family passion and became a renowned explorer and participant in the Hoggar Expedition. He was the first French explorer to reach English Malaysia, bringing back previously unpublished documents on the isolated Sakai tribes. As a collector, François Chasseloupe-Laubat was advised by Jean Claude Moreau-Gobard, an important French collector and dealer specializing in Asian art.
Published: J.C. Moreau-Gobard, Chine – Terres cuites, 1 July 1965, p. 2, no. 17.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Ancient wear, losses, nicks, scratches, flaking to gilt, casting flaws.
French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel Nr. 243097 dated 20 September 2023 has been granted and a copy accompanies this lot.
Weight: 1,500 g
Dimensions: Height 13 cm, Width 14 cm, Depth 16.4 cm
This impressive door ring holder (pushou) in the form of a taotie mythological beast mask would support a large ring from its lower section and be positioned in the centre of doors or gateways. Its size is evidence of the grandeur of the palace or mausoleum building it once adorned. Its fierce appearance, with bulging eyes, was believed to ward off evil spirits.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related gilt-bronze taotie mask fitting, dated 8th century BC, 11.6 cm wide, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 50.26.8a.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 September 2023, lot 908
Price: USD 37,800 or approx. EUR 34,500 converted at the time of writing
Description: A bronze taotie mask fitting with ring handle, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Note the size (22.9 cm).
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