Until 31st Dec, 2025
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A GILT METAL-SHEET INLAID SILVER ‘SLEEVE’ MIRROR WITH A SQUIRREL, TANG DYNASTY
Lot 11 - SING0925
Published: Koos de Jong, Small China: Early Chinese Miniatures, 2021, p. 174, fig. 151.
China, 618–907. Of foliate form with a raised bracket-lobed rim, inlaid with a gilt-metal sheet decorated with a squirrel perched on a leafy branch, all against a ring-punched ground, the central knob pierced.
Provenance: Grays Antique Centre, London, 2003. Collection of Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above. A Dutch art historian and collector, Dr. Koos de Jong has worked across several cultural institutions in the Netherlands from 1976, serving as the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch between 1999-2009, before retiring in 2009. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the modern era. His scholarly interests expanded to Chinese material culture, culminating in the 2013 publication of Dragon & Horse: Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond, a pioneering study on Chinese equestrian gear. Continuing this line of inquiry, his more recent book published in 2021, Small China: Early Chinese Miniatures, explores the largely overlooked world of Chinese miniature objects, combining archaeological research with art historical insight.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. With wear to the gilding, weathering, miniscule nicks, and casting irregularities. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with areas of malachite, azurite, and cuprite encrustation.
Weight: 46.2 g
Dimensions: Diameter 4.8 cm
Small mirrors were known as 'inch mirrors' (cunjing) or 'sleeve mirrors' (xiujing) due to their portable nature. Popular during the Tang dynasty, such small, but intricately decorated, mirrors were favored by nobility.
Literature comparison:
A miniature Tang mirror of this type, 4.2 cm high, is published in Early Chinese Miniatures, China Institute of America, by Dr Paul Singer, p.75, figure 180.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 17-18 March 2016, lot 1402
Price: USD 20.000 or approx. EUR 23,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A miniature gold sheet-inlaid bronze octafoil mirror, Tang Dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related manner of execution. Note the slightly larger size (6 cm)
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2015, lot 720
Price: USD 10.000 or approx. EUR 11,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A miniature silver sheet-inlaid bronze circular mirror, Tang Dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related manner of execution and size (5.5 cm).
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