A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A RECUMBENT RHINOCEROS LATE EASTERN HAN-SIX DYNASTIES, 2ND-4TH CENTURY AD

its head hunched back forming a wrinkled neck, with a short horn between pointed ears and another at the top of the muzzle, the body incised overall with a network of scales, the bronze of dark brown colour with traces of gilding, supported on a brocaded cushion in a fitted wood box raised on four canted legs

Collection of Carl Kempe.

The rhinoceros shows overall rubbing and loss to the guilding with minute areas of loss to the extremities of the ears, horns, and forehead of the animal. A small (5mm x 5mm) casting flaw near the rear haunch, traces of verdigris on one foreleg and several small (2mm x 3mm) circular recessed areas on the body of the rhinoceros. There is a small (1mm) hole to each side of the animal between the front and hind legs where it may have been mounted.
"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."

Depictions of rhinoceros are extremely rare in Chinese art although the two-horned species represented in this sculpture is recorded to have survived into the Tang dynasty. See a related figure of a standing rhinoceros attributed to the Tang dynasty, sold at Christie's London, 6^th November 2007, lot 141; and another illustrated in D. Stoneham, 'Thermoluminescence Testing of Ceramic Works of Art', Orientations, June 1990, p. 73, fig. 4, and sold at Christie's New York, 28^th March 1996, lot 273.

For silver wares adorned with a figure of a rhinoceros in profile and attributed to the Tang period, see two dishes from the Carl Kempe collection sold in these rooms, 14^th May 2008, lots 59 and 60; a small box from the Hejiacun hoard and now preserved in the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an, published in Zhongguo jin yin boli falang quanji, vol. 2, Shijiazhuang, 2000, pl. 32; and a bowl included in the exhibition Imperial Gold from Ancient China, Part II, Oriental Bronzes Ltd., London, 1991, cat. no. 6. A zun cast in the form of a rhinoceros and attributed to the Shang dynasty (16^th century to c. 1050 BC), is illustrated in Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Avery Brundage Collection, Berkeley, 1966, pl. XIX.