China, 17th century. Naturalistically cast, the turtle raising its head and looking slightly to the left, its tail curved toward the right, the carapace finely incised.

Provenance: From a northern German private collection, assembled before 2000.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting flaws, small nicks and occasional light scratches. Fine, natural patina.

Weight: 136 g
Dimensions: Length 10 cm

Little is known about the historical figure Shisou. The earliest reference in the Zhongguo meishujia renming cidian ('Dictionary of Chinese Artists') comes from the Luochuang xiaodu and is presumably from the same source as published in Zhongguo yishujia zhenglue ('Brief Introduction of Chinese Artists’). Shisou is listed there only as a late Ming dynasty monk without any further biographical information. A number of vessels and sculptures from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century bear his name, sometimes in combination with a hall name, Jinyu tang (‘Hall of Prosperity’). Although the present piece is unsigned, the high quality of the casting and fine silver-wire inlays make an attribution to Shisou or a related workshop more than reasonable.

The tortoise is one of the Four Fabulous Animals, the most prominent beasts of China. They govern the four points of the compass, with the Black Tortoise as the ruler of the north, symbolizing endurance, strength, and longevity. The tortoise and the tiger are the only real animals of the four, although the tortoise is sometimes depicted with supernatural features such as dragon ears, flaming tentacles, and a long hairy tail - such as the present lot - representing seaweed and the growth of plant parasites found on older tortoise shells that flow behind the tortoise as it swims. The Chinese Imperial Army carried flags with images of dragons and tortoises as symbols of unparalleled power and inaccessibility, as these animals fought with each other but both remained alive.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related bronze waterpot depicting a mythical beast, signed Shisou and also dated to the late Ming dynasty, at Bonhams London in Fine Chinese Art on 7 November 2019, lot 59, sold for GBP 10,687. For an earlier inlaid bronze tortoise-form weight, dated 3^rd-2^nd century BC, see Christie’s New York, The Sze Yuan Tang Archaic Bronzes from the Anthony Hardy Collection, 16 September 2010, lot 907, sold for USD 68,500. For an inlaid bronze tortoise-form weight dated Yuan to Ming dynasty, see Christie’s Hong Kong, Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 27 November 2013, lot 3584, sold for HKD 875,000. A closely related lacquer-gilt bronze model of a turtle, also dated to the 17^th century, was sold in these rooms in Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism on 6 March 2021, lot 430, sold for EUR 26,840.

明末錯銀銅龜鎮紙
中國，十七世紀。龜形鎮紙鑄造生動，烏龜抬起頭，略微向左看，尾巴向右彎曲，甲殼錯銀精美。

來源：德國北部私人收藏，建立於西元2000年之前。
品相：狀況極好，輕微磨損和鑄造缺陷、小刻痕和局部輕微劃痕。天然包漿。

重量：136 克
尺寸：長10 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件青銅瑞獸水丞，落款“石叟”，見倫敦邦翰思 Fine Chinese Art 2019年11月7日 lot 59, 售價GBP 10,687；一件公元前三至二世紀銅龜鎮紙，見紐約佳士得The Sze Yuan Tang Archaic Bronzes from the Anthony Hardy Collection 2010年9月16日 lot 907, 售價USD 68,500 ；還有一件元至明銅龜鎮紙，見香港佳士得Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2013年11月27日lot 3584, 售價HKD 875,000 ；一件銅鎏漆金龜，十七世紀，售於本藝廊Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism 2021年3月6日 lot 430, 售價EUR 26,840。