A rare gold-sheet-inlaid bronze foliate mirror
Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The six-petalled mirror inlaid with a sheet of gold chased with three horses galloping head to tail in low relief against a ground of incised leafy scrolls issuing from the central domed knob, contrasting with the silvery finish on the wide rim and reverse reflective surface, box. 5.7cm (2 1/4in) wide. (2).
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Provenance: The Mengdiexuan Collection
Published: J.M.White and E.Bunker, Adornment for Eternity: Status and Rank in Chinese Ornament, Denver, 1994, p.140, no.55f.
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??? J.M.White?E.Bunker???Adornment for Eternity: Status and Rank in Chinese Ornament??1994???140???55f
Mirrors had been made using bronze since the Shang dynasty (16th-11th century BC) but during the Tang dynasty, the most rare and prized mirrors were inset with either an elaborately decorated cut sheet of gold or silver.
A related gold-sheet inlaid bronze mirror, Tang dynasty, similarly decorated with animals but of octafoil form, was sold at Christie's New York, 17-18 March 2016, lot 1402.
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Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The six-petalled mirror inlaid with a sheet of gold chased with three horses galloping head to tail in low relief against a ground of incised leafy scrolls issuing from the central domed knob, contrasting with the silvery finish on the wide rim and reverse reflective surface, box. 5.7cm (2 1/4in) wide. (2).
? ????????
Provenance: The Mengdiexuan Collection
Published: J.M.White and E.Bunker, Adornment for Eternity: Status and Rank in Chinese Ornament, Denver, 1994, p.140, no.55f.
??? ???????
??? J.M.White?E.Bunker???Adornment for Eternity: Status and Rank in Chinese Ornament??1994???140???55f
Mirrors had been made using bronze since the Shang dynasty (16th-11th century BC) but during the Tang dynasty, the most rare and prized mirrors were inset with either an elaborately decorated cut sheet of gold or silver.
A related gold-sheet inlaid bronze mirror, Tang dynasty, similarly decorated with animals but of octafoil form, was sold at Christie's New York, 17-18 March 2016, lot 1402.
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Time, Location
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