A BRONZE ‘XUANWU’ WATER DROPPER China, Early Qing...

A BRONZE ‘XUANWU’ WATER DROPPER
China, Early Qing Dynasty, 17th century
Cast after an ancient Han or Six Dynasties (25-618) prototype, this scholar's water dropper is in the form of a tortoise holding a small cup in its mouth. The creature is surmounted by a snake. Bears an old collector’s label to the below.
H: 4,5 cm – L: 14,3 cm – w: 7 cm
Weight:
Provenance (by repute): Formerly in the Collection of Henry d’Allemagne (1863-1950), a renowned French librarian and Historian, specialized in Decorative Arts. He devoted his entire life to the study of new subjects such as playing cards.
Notes:
1. In combination, the snake and tortoise represent the north, or the "dark warrior." In the present piece, the animals are realistically cast. The tortoise is even correctly detailed with scales and plastron on the underside.
2. A bronze tortoise-form water dropper was recently excavated from a third- or fourth-century tomb in Ch'ing-hai province. In keeping with scholar's taste for the ancient, this seventeenth-century writing utensil once used on a scholar's desk must have been based on an ancient prototype.
3. For a related silver inlaid piece, please refers to accession number 2001.135.7 of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, a gift of Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton. For another related piece, that one made of cloisonne enamels, please refer to Sotheby’s London, United Kingdom, 2014/05/14, lot 133, sold for GBP7.500 BP incl.
“龟蛇”青铜水滴管
中国，清早期，17世纪