Fine and rare, elegantly shaped bronze spoon with a “fishtail” handle from the Tang Dynasty. This piece is in excellent condition with an excellent black patina. L: 24cm/9.5in.
Fine and rare spoon made of bronze, circa Han Dynasty. The handle and spoon have been riveted together; this piece is very delicate in perfect condition with excellent malachite and azurite patina. L: 16cm/6.3in.
A Chinese serpent headed, fluted or faceted bronze buckle from the Han Dynasty. The narrow hook end has been reattached and restored and the original inlay, probably gold and/or silver, is long gone, but the buckle is otherwise intact with a nice weight and a good patina (i.e. it has not been over-polished and the reverse side has been left completely in its natural, excavated state). The inlay material has completely disappeared and was probably removed intentionally at some point in its hist... Click for details
DESCRIPTION: Chinese seals, a distinctive form of national art, developed from very ancient times. Originating from molded clay stamps, bronze seals appeared in an embryonic form in the Shang and Zhou dynasties (1600 BC – 256 BC). This pair of tiny bronze seals is an excellent representation of the early forms of Chinese seal making. The simple square seal pictured on the left dates from the Han dynasty or earlier (206 BC – 220 AD), while the seal on the right which is adorned with a seated d... Click for details
Two bronze buckles or garment hooks dating from the 4th to 2nd Century B.C. from the Ordos Culture of Northwest China or South Central Inner Mongolia. The small, hook end of one buckle is serpent or bird -headed as are other Chinese Warring States and Han period types which influenced Ordos decoration, but the deep, vigorous relief of the large oval end of the buckle—and the high level of ornamental abstraction of the crouching, sinuous body terminating in a tiger or feline creature—is typicall... Click for details
A plain, six-lobed, foliate rim bronze mirror with a maker’s inscription and an unusual burial texture on the reverse. While the foliate rim was common to Tang Dynasty mirrors, several characteristics of this example date it to the Yuan or early Ming Dynasty.
Beginning with the Song, mirrors often carried an inscription on the reverse which identified the maker and generally proclaimed the practical, reflective qualities of the mirror if in somewhat poetic terms. From the Song until the very ... Click for details
Of simple, understated and elegant design and lovely geometric proportion, the triple-fluted form avoids visual monotony by the placement of a subtle vertical separation demarcating a slightly recessed surface where the upper-third portion of this traditional, S-shaped hook narrows before terminating in a simplified dragon’s head. Reddish-brown, coppery-colored bronze with red cuprite and verdigris patination. All elements are completely intact. The integral fluted decoration seems to be typi... Click for details
Rare archaic bronze cup with ring handles circa Warring States Period (475 BCE-221 BCE). Noted in last enlargement: 7cm x 3cm section that had broken out and was glued back in using the original piece as well as one crack that has been “pasted over” Underneath all the patina and grit, the bronze is solid and stable- a patient person could clean this up by hand- anyway very good value for a bronze of this size and period! L: 15.2cm/6im, W: 12.5cm/5in and H: 7.5cm3in.
Good circa Western Zhou to Warring States small bronze knives (1100 BCE-221 BCE). These are functional knives with decent edges (albeit a few have chips), the bronze is in excellent condition and not brittle with the handles, backs and spines on these being quite sturdy. None have repairs and please note the scale is centimeters in enlargements.
