A WOOD SADDLE WITH GILT IRON FITTINGS, 17/18TH CT

A WOOD SADDLE WITH GILT IRON FITTINGS AND SILK BROCADE COVER, 17TH-18TH CENTURY
Sino-Tibetan, late Ming to early Qing dynasty. Constructed from wood tied together with strips of leather, the pommel and cantle plates made of chiseled iron highlighted in gilt to form the design of dragons chasing the flaming pearl against a pierced scrolled ground on a layer of crimson red cloth.

Provenance: Theresa Coleman, Tibetan Gallery, Hong Kong. Collection of Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above in 2013 (no invoice available). Dr. de Jong is a Dutch art historian and has been privately collecting Chinese art over decades. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts spanning from the Middle Ages to the modern era. In 2013, he published an extensive study of Chinese riding gear in "Dragon & Horse, Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond". Between 1976 and 2009 he worked for numerous museums across the Netherlands and was the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch.
Published: Dr. Koos de Jong, Dragon & Horse. Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond, Amsterdam - Hong Kong 2013, illustrated on the back cover.
Condition: Overall in good, original condition. The wood with age cracks and some small chips as well as a fine dark patina. Some loss to the gilt, the iron applications with small dents, dings and small areas of malachite green and copper red patina. The silk with faded colors, stains, small tears, and creases.

Weight: 5.0 kg
Dimensions: Length 60 cm

The saddle cover, which like the saddle itself represents dragons chasing the flaming pearl, is made of brocaded silk fragments, the originally red (now faded into peach) silk dates to the Kangxi period (1661-1722) and is secured with pierced circular gilt-iron fittings in the form of flowers.

With an associated metal stand. (2)

Literature comparison: The technique used to decorate the pommel and cantle plates on this saddle are similar to a saddle in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, dated to the 17th or 18th century, accession number 1997.214.1.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a similar but considerably larger saddle without a cover, dated to the 18th or 19th century, sold by Sotheby's New York in Important Chinese Works of Art on 17-18 March 2015, lot 364, for USD $60,000 incl. buyer's premium.

鐵鎏金鏤空木胎馬鞍，十七至十八世紀
漢藏，明末清初。馬鞍木胎以皮帶綁緊。前後鞍橋用錾铁鎏金镂空制成雙龍戲珠紋飾，鞍板上覆蓋刺綉鞍布。

來源：香港Theresa Coleman西藏文物藝廊。Drs. Koos de Jong收藏，2013年購于上述藝廊（發票已遺失）。Drs. de Jong是一位荷蘭藝術史學家， 幾十年來他一直私人收藏中國藝術品。他撰寫了數百篇文章和幾本書，內容涉及從中世紀到現代的荷蘭美術和裝飾藝術。 2013年，他在《Dragon & Horse：Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》中發表了有關中國騎馬裝備的詳盡研究。1976年至2009年間，他曾在荷蘭的許多博物館工作，並曾擔任登博世歐洲陶瓷工作中心的主任。
出版：Dr. Koos de Jong著書《Dragon & Horse. Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》, 阿姆斯特丹 - 香港，2013年，書背圖。
品相：總體而言處於良好的原始狀態。木胎有年代裂縫和一些小碎屑以及細膩的深色包漿。鍍金有些損失，鐵的部分有小凹痕和局部有孔雀石綠和銅紅色包漿。織物有褪色、污漬、小水痕和摺痕。

重量：5.0 公斤
尺寸：長60 厘米

文獻比較：相似技術和紋飾的馬鞍可見Metropolitan Museum of Art，時間爲十七或十八世紀，編號 1997.214.1.

拍賣結果比較：一件相似但大些卻沒有鞍佈的十八至十九世紀馬鞍2015年3月17-18日于紐約蘇富比《重要中國工藝品》拍號364，成交價USD $60,000含買家佣金。