16th Oct, 2025 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
6
A FINE RETICULATED GILT-DAMASCENED IRON PEN HOLDER, TIBET, 15TH-16TH CENTURY
Sold for €9,750
including Buyer's Premium
Expert’s note: The design of this piece is created using the wanjin technique. This intricate process begins by incising the iron surface with a slanted blade to roughen it. A thin sheet or line of gold is then laid over the metal and carefully hammered, causing the gold to embed deeply into the carved lines. Once the surface is smoothed and polished, the result is a refined, gleaming gold decoration seamlessly integrated into the metal.
Of cylindrical form, superbly worked with dense scrollwork issuing blossoms, framed by a band of lingzhi, and terminating in a lotus bud. The design repeated to the cover with a third dragon. The pieces joined by two lugs.
Provenance: Collection of Paul Atkinson. Paul Atkinson is a passionate and wide-ranging collector whose career has spanned over five decades. Known for his boundless curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit, Atkinson began his journey in the antiques trade during the 1970s, sourcing pieces from regional sales and eventually opening his first shop in Matlock, Derbyshire. At one of his first auctions as a 20-year-old in 1970, a veteran dealer came over to Atkinson at a farm sale and said, 'you think that you have joined a business, don't you? Atkinson responded, 'Well, this isn't a business - it's an illness from which you never recover'. His eye for the unique and rare quickly led him to the international stage, exporting English furniture to the U.S. and Europe and expanding into fields such as Pre-Columbian, tribal, and ethnographic art. Over the years, Atkinson built an eclectic collection that includes Grand Tour bronzes, Anglo-Indian carvings, Ottoman arms, African masks, and European furniture. His reputation was solidified with the opening of a gallery in the Louvre des Antiquaires in Paris, and later through his restoration of Sydnope Hall, once the home of Charles Darwin’s family. Together with his wife Vivien, an experienced art market professional, Atkinson later relocated to Mallorca, where they opened a major gallery catering to a distinguished international clientele.
Condition: Very good condition with expected old wear, rubbing to the gilt, and minor casting irregularities including pitting. Overall, remarkably well preserved given its age and the extensive use typical for this type of object.
Weight: 259.5 g
Dimensions: Length 31.6 cm
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 8 November 2023, lot 359
Price: GBP 12,065 or approx. EUR 15,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A reticulated gilt-damascened iron pen holder, Tibet, 16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and damascening technique. Note the size (41.2 cm).
Expert’s note: The design of this piece is created using the wanjin technique. This intricate process begins by incising the iron surface with a slanted blade to roughen it. A thin sheet or line of gold is then laid over the metal and carefully hammered, causing the gold to embed deeply into the carved lines. Once the surface is smoothed and polished, the result is a refined, gleaming gold decoration seamlessly integrated into the metal.
Of cylindrical form, superbly worked with dense scrollwork issuing blossoms, framed by a band of lingzhi, and terminating in a lotus bud. The design repeated to the cover with a third dragon. The pieces joined by two lugs.
Provenance: Collection of Paul Atkinson. Paul Atkinson is a passionate and wide-ranging collector whose career has spanned over five decades. Known for his boundless curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit, Atkinson began his journey in the antiques trade during the 1970s, sourcing pieces from regional sales and eventually opening his first shop in Matlock, Derbyshire. At one of his first auctions as a 20-year-old in 1970, a veteran dealer came over to Atkinson at a farm sale and said, 'you think that you have joined a business, don't you? Atkinson responded, 'Well, this isn't a business - it's an illness from which you never recover'. His eye for the unique and rare quickly led him to the international stage, exporting English furniture to the U.S. and Europe and expanding into fields such as Pre-Columbian, tribal, and ethnographic art. Over the years, Atkinson built an eclectic collection that includes Grand Tour bronzes, Anglo-Indian carvings, Ottoman arms, African masks, and European furniture. His reputation was solidified with the opening of a gallery in the Louvre des Antiquaires in Paris, and later through his restoration of Sydnope Hall, once the home of Charles Darwin’s family. Together with his wife Vivien, an experienced art market professional, Atkinson later relocated to Mallorca, where they opened a major gallery catering to a distinguished international clientele.
Condition: Very good condition with expected old wear, rubbing to the gilt, and minor casting irregularities including pitting. Overall, remarkably well preserved given its age and the extensive use typical for this type of object.
Weight: 259.5 g
Dimensions: Length 31.6 cm
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 8 November 2023, lot 359
Price: GBP 12,065 or approx. EUR 15,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A reticulated gilt-damascened iron pen holder, Tibet, 16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and damascening technique. Note the size (41.2 cm).
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