A FINE AND RARE GOLD CUP SONG DYNASTY

the shallow bowl with rounded sides rising from a gently splayed foot, the interior finely engraved with a central medallion of flowering foliage with stems of peonies set with large feathery leaves, a band of scrolling  palmettes engraved below the lipped rim on the exterior, set on one side with a handle realistically rendered as a dragon's head, the tufted brows sweeping back to pointed ears and horns, nostrils flared and the jaws open wide showing large teeth and holding a ring

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 53A.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 22, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 53A.

R. Soame Jenyns and William Watson, Chinese Art. The Minor Arts, Fribourg 1963, pl. 14.

Zhang Linsheng, 'Zhongguo gudai di jingjin gongyi', The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, 1984, no. 14, p. 59, fig. 32.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 50.

Chinese Ceramic Treasures, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 2002, pl. 50.

Rim slightly bent out of true, 1mm slot to underside of neck of beast, foot bent out of true, remnants of dirt/soiling to exterior and join of foot, minor surface wear, some fine scratching to interior, slight raised ring to interior of bowl, pin prick to chin of beast, small pin pricks to join of foot and body.
"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."

Song gold pouring vessels of this form are extremely rare with the present cup the only recorded example of its type. The form of this cup, with the handle in the shape of a dragon's head, is reminiscent of yi vessels where the handle is replaced by a spout. The present cup is possibly inspired by earlier, Tang period, gold examples, such as the two cups, of different form, but also made of pure gold, found amongst the treasures of Prince Bin, excavated at Hejiacun, south of Xi'an in Shaanxi province, now in the Shaanxi History Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo jin yin boli falangqi quanji, vol. 2, Shijiazhuang, 2004, pls. 22 and 23, the former of tripod form with a handle, the latter of a shallow bowl form with a spout. 

A large silver cup of related form with a ring handle, from the collection of Dr. Pierre Uldry, was included in the exhibition Chinesisches Gold und Silber, Rietberg Museum, Zurich, 1994, cat. no. 126. See also a silver yi from the storing site at Hejiacun, in the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an, published in Sekai bijutsu taizenshu: Toyo hen, vol. 4, Tokyo, 1997, pl. 164; and another silver vessel excavated in 1992 at Nandan county, Guanxi province, illustrated in Han Wei and Christian Deydier, Ancient Chinese Gold, Paris, 2001, pl. 430.