Lot 802
  • 802

A GOLD AND SILVER-INLAID BRONZE 'MYTHICAL TWIN BIRD' CENSER MING DYNASTY |

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Length 4 3/4  in., 12 cm
the birds conjoined at their sides, each with a C-shaped wing swept downward to elevate the censer, the tails interlocking with one passing over the other and then descending to form a support, the other tail sweeping under and then rising to form a handle, the necks twisting around each other and the faces turned upward with the mouth open, the archaistic feathers inlaid in gold and silver, the underside with two small pairs of legs tucked into the belly

Provenance

Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

Condition

The descending tail and the tucked legs have both been soldered back on, and there is minor restoration to the lower edge of the proper right wing. A loss to one of the talons to the underside. There is flaking patina to the underside of the body and to the inner wings, small losses to the inlay, and the feathers at the neck have small losses.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The rise of Neoconfucianism in the Song dynasty led to a revival of interest in archaic bronze vessels, particularly in specimens inlaid with gold and silver. As a result, artisans of the Song, and subsequent Ming and Qing, dynasties crafted new bronze vessels modeled on the ancient prototypes, of which the present censer is a shining example. A related vessel from the collection of Henri Cernuschi and currently in the Musée Cernuschi, Paris, was included in the exhibition Bronzes de la Chine Imperiale: des Song aux Qing, Musée CernuschiParis, 2013, cat. no. 46. See also a gold and silver-inlaid bronze vessel of the same form, but diminutive in size, in the collection of Mrs. Walter Sedgwick, sold in our London rooms, 2nd July 1968. A larger 'mythical twin bird', very similar to the present but with the wings positioned at a different angle, from the Helen S. Darion Collection sold in these rooms, 20th March 2019, lot 672. Other related examples include: one from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, exhibited in Early Chinese Miniatures, China House Gallery/China Institute in America, New York, 1977, cat. no. 222 and later sold at Christie's New York, 1st December 1994, lot 70, attributed to the Song or Ming dynasty; another of different form is illustrated in Christian Deydier, Chinese Bronzes, New York, 1980, pl. 148 and attributed to the Song dynasty; a vessel with a wheel base, attributed to the Ming dynasty and sold in these rooms, 12th April 1990, lot 383; and a Mandarin duck-form washer attributed to the Ming dynasty and sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 20th November 1985, lot 252.