16th Oct, 2025 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
181
AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND IMPORTANT GOLD ‘PHOENIX’ VASE, TANG-LIAO DYNASTY
€15,000
€30,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
China, 618-1125. Finely modeled with an ovoid body supported on a short tapered foot and surmounted by a long slender neck with horizontal ribs and terminating in a blossom-shaped mouth with neatly incised petals. The body richly engraved with a pair of majestic phoenixes with long trailing tails, surrounded scrolling vines issuing lotus, peonies, chrysanthemums, and other auspicious flowers, framed above and below by borders of petals and interlocking S-scroll.
Provenance: The private collection of a Scandinavian businessman and thence by descent. Bukowskis, Stockholm, 15 June 2012, lot 1845, dated as 17th-18th century. A noted English private collection, acquired from the above, and thence by descent.
Condition: Good and entirely original condition, with expected age-related wear and manufacturing irregularities. A few minor dents, dings, and minuscule nicks, along with light surface scratches. Microscopic remnants of soil encrustation, slightly more concentrated on the interior. Overall with a fine, naturally developed patina.
Metallurgy: Analysis confirms a high gold content ranging from 22 to 24 carats, consistent with the purity levels found in Tang and Liao dynasty goldwork. Such high-purity alloys were typically reserved for elite or ceremonial use, reflecting the technical sophistication and material wealth of the period. This is consistent with other excavated examples from aristocratic tombs and temple hoards.
Weight: 121.6 g
Dimensions: Height 15.6 cm
The shape of the present bottle was popular during the Tang, Liao, and Song dynasties and was produced in a variety of materials. For example, see a bronze vase dated to the Tang dynasty and a white glazed porcelain vase dated to the Song dynasty, both in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, inventory numbers 故銅002401N000000000 and 故瓷018167N000000000, and a glass vase dated to the Tang dynasty in the Shaanxi History Museum.
Literature comparison:
Compare a near identical gold vase with phoenixes as well as a gold urn with a closely related decoration of interlocking S-shapes and lappets framing birds and florals, both dated to the Liao dynasty, in the Shanghai Museum.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Near identical
Auction: Koller, Zurich, 26 November 2024, lot 142
Price: CHF 150,000 or approx. EUR 162,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare gold vase, China, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the form, decoration, motifs, and size (16.5 cm).
China, 618-1125. Finely modeled with an ovoid body supported on a short tapered foot and surmounted by a long slender neck with horizontal ribs and terminating in a blossom-shaped mouth with neatly incised petals. The body richly engraved with a pair of majestic phoenixes with long trailing tails, surrounded scrolling vines issuing lotus, peonies, chrysanthemums, and other auspicious flowers, framed above and below by borders of petals and interlocking S-scroll.
Provenance: The private collection of a Scandinavian businessman and thence by descent. Bukowskis, Stockholm, 15 June 2012, lot 1845, dated as 17th-18th century. A noted English private collection, acquired from the above, and thence by descent.
Condition: Good and entirely original condition, with expected age-related wear and manufacturing irregularities. A few minor dents, dings, and minuscule nicks, along with light surface scratches. Microscopic remnants of soil encrustation, slightly more concentrated on the interior. Overall with a fine, naturally developed patina.
Metallurgy: Analysis confirms a high gold content ranging from 22 to 24 carats, consistent with the purity levels found in Tang and Liao dynasty goldwork. Such high-purity alloys were typically reserved for elite or ceremonial use, reflecting the technical sophistication and material wealth of the period. This is consistent with other excavated examples from aristocratic tombs and temple hoards.
Weight: 121.6 g
Dimensions: Height 15.6 cm
The shape of the present bottle was popular during the Tang, Liao, and Song dynasties and was produced in a variety of materials. For example, see a bronze vase dated to the Tang dynasty and a white glazed porcelain vase dated to the Song dynasty, both in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, inventory numbers 故銅002401N000000000 and 故瓷018167N000000000, and a glass vase dated to the Tang dynasty in the Shaanxi History Museum.
Literature comparison:
Compare a near identical gold vase with phoenixes as well as a gold urn with a closely related decoration of interlocking S-shapes and lappets framing birds and florals, both dated to the Liao dynasty, in the Shanghai Museum.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Near identical
Auction: Koller, Zurich, 26 November 2024, lot 142
Price: CHF 150,000 or approx. EUR 162,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare gold vase, China, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the form, decoration, motifs, and size (16.5 cm).
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Auction: TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism, 16th Oct, 2025
Galerie Zacke is honored to present a major two-day live auction event, featuring 662 works of art from China, India, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
The highlight is our flagship live auction on Day 1 (lots 1-269), showcasing masterpieces of exceptional rarity and provenance. Among them are an absolutely perfect and thus extremely rare gilt and copper-red ‘Three Beasts’ bottle vase, Kangxi period, from the collection of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony; a highly important archaic yellow jade bi disk, on an imperially inscribed zitan stand, from the personal collection of the Qianlong Emperor (Hongli); an extraordinary sandstone figure of Lakshmi-Narayana, Chandela period, 10th–12th century, from the collection of Jeremy Knowles; as well as an exceptional 23k gold ritual helmet, Western Eurasian Steppe, possibly Hellenistic or Scythian, from the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.
Day 2 (lots 270-662) continues with our general auction, offering seasoned collectors and new bidders alike an opportunity to enhance their collections. Learn more.
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6 - 15 October 2025
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