A VERY FINE AND RARE PARCEL-GILT SILVER BOWL TANG DYNASTY, 8TH/9TH CENTURY

rendered in the shape of an open lotus flower with everted rim and flat base, the slightly flared sides decorated with three bands of overlapping lotus petals in repousse work, each petal finely engraved and gilt on the exterior with a pair of confronting birds in flight amidst lush foliage and separated by a floral rosette, the tips of a fourth band of petals and a band of upright lappets visible below the rim, the interior superbly engraved to the centre with a central gilt medallion formed by four pairs of confronting birds radiating from a central ribbon and interspersed with flowering branches

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 117.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 37.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 117.

Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, no.29, 1957, pl. 24b, fig. 39c.

Han Wei, Hai nei wai Tangdai jin yin qi cuibian [Tang gold and silver in Chinese and overseas collections], Xi'an, 1989, pl. 146.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 119.

The bowl is in overall very good condition. The surface is slightly distorted and shows very light overall wear consistent with age. The surface of the bowl also has a number of pitted areas some of which are tarnished. The surfaces may have been covered with a layer of lacquer to protect it against oxidation. Two large metal areas of repair are visible to the inside rim of the bowl, these could be contemporary with the production of the bowl, as the highly decorated surface of the exterior appears completely undisturbed. The only inconsistency to the decoration being an area to the external rim measuring approx 2cm where the incised decoration is rather shallow in comparison to the rest of the decorated rim which would suggest an area of restoration. It is not possible to say when this restoration was carried out and if it is indeed contemporary with the production of the bowl.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present exquisitely fashioned bowl is among the finest examples of silverwork made by Chinese artisans during the Tang dynasty. Only one other comparable example appears to be recorded, a bowl of much larger dimensions but of the same shape and design probably made by the same craftsman, in the Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum, Kobe, illustrated in Sekai bijutsu taizenshu: Toyo hen, vol. 4, Tokyo, 1997, pls. 169-170.

The decorative pattern of overlapping lotus petals can also be seen on the famous gold bowl excavated in 1970 from Prince Bin's treasure hoard at Hejiacun, Shaanxi province, currently in the Shaanxi History Museum, where the petals enclose images of birds and beasts. This bowl is illustrated in numerous publications including Zhongguo jin yin boli falangqi quanji, vol. 2, Shijiazhuang, 2004, pl. 9. Other variations of the lotus petal design can be seen on a lotus-shaped bowl from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Mayer, New York, included in the exhibition The Arts of the Tang Dynasty, Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, 1957, cat. no. 334, together with a bowl from the Hakutsuru Art Museum, also in the form of a lotus flower with the exterior divided into large and small petal-shaped lobes in repousse work, cat.no. 333.

Compare also a bowl with walls similarly decorated in repousse to resemble wavy petals, included in the exhibition Selected Treasures from Hejiacun Tang Hoard, Shaanxi History Museum, Taipei, 2003, cat. no. 20.