Expert’s note (part I): Throughout history, birds of prey such as falcons and eagles have been powerful emblems symbolizing strength, courage, and dominance. In many ancient cultures, these majestic birds were prominently featured in military standards and royal insignias, serving as potent symbols of sovereignty and martial prowess. The symbolism of these birds has been used globally throughout the entire history of mankind. The present finial is not only remarkable because of the sheer quality of its workmanship, but especially because of its large size of more than 26 cm. The chariot that this standard once adorned must have been of a magnificent, almost divine appearance – it most certainly served the Royal House of Zhou.

(please scroll down for part II of this expert’s note)

China, 771 BCE to 256 BCE. Finely cast perching with sharp talons and the head turned back, the face with large round eyes, a prominent curved beak, and a pair of wattles to either side of the beak and eyes, the body with a pair of feathery wings and tail all tightly bound together. The interior is hollow with an aperture on either side of its wings for mounting.

Provenance: From a private collection in Hampshire, England, acquired in the 1990s.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Ancient wear, signs of weathering and erosion, casting flaws, small nicks, minor losses. The bronze is covered overall in a rich, naturally grown, dark patina with distinct malachite encrustations.

Weight: 804 g
Dimensions: Height 26.5 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related, but earlier bronze finial, terminating in the head of a bird of prey, 6 cm long, dating from the Shang dynasty to the Western Zhou dynasty ca. 1200-903 BC, in the British Museum, accession number 1932,1215.18. Also compare with a much smaller, simplified version of the present lot, 9 cm high, dated to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, described as ferrule, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 24 Nov 2013, lot 495.

Expert’s note (part II):

In ancient Egypt, the falcon was associated with the sky god Horus and symbolized divine kingship and protection. Pharaohs were often depicted with falcons, highlighting their god-like status and unassailable power. See fig. 1, a stone statue of the Pharaoh Khafre flanked by a falcon, 168 cm high, dated c. 2570 BC, in the Egypt Museum, Cairo, accession number JE 10062.

In the Roman Empire, the eagle became an iconic emblem of imperial authority. The aquila, or eagle standard, was carried by Roman legions and signified the strength and unity of the empire. See fig. 2, the Praetorians Relief, dated c. 51-52 AD, in the Louvre-Lens, accession number Ma 1079. The eagle standard was the most important possession of the legion, and its loss was a terrible disgrace.

The earliest representations of eagles as imperial standards can be traced back to art and artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia and Greece, where they were associated with gods like Zeus and represented divine power and justice. See fig. 3, a bronze eagle standard unearthed near the Temple of Aphrodite at Dodona, dated ca. 4^th century BC, in the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina.

In Mesopotamia, the guardian jinn, with the body of a man and the head of an eagle, were viewed as a divine protectorate of the king and were depicted throughout Assyrian palaces during the 1^st millennium BC. See fig. 4, a stone wall relief from the palace in Assur depicting the Assyrian king Assurbanipal in procession with a protective four-winged jinni with the head of an eagle, dated 9^th century BC, in the British Museum, accession number 1851,0902.500.

These early depictions laid the groundwork for the eagle's enduring role as a symbol of military and political power in later civilizations. Eagles loom large in myth and imagery throughout ancient Mesoamerica, particularly for the Aztecs, representing worldly and spiritual power as well as the sun. Aztec eagle warriors were considered the bravest and most elite, and the eagle is central to the Aztec mythic history of the founding of their capital city, Tenochtitlan. See fig. 5, a Mesoamerican stone relief of an eagle eating a human heart, a reference to the ritual of human heart sacrifice, Toltec culture, Mexico, dated 10^th-13^th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 93.27.1.

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