A RARE GILT-BRONZE 'DRAGON AND TIGER' BRUSH HANDLE WESTERN HAN DYNASTY |

intricately cast in high relief in the form of two fiercely combating tigers, beneath a sinuous dragon writhing through clouds with its head raised, all above a rectangular socket, wood stand (2)

J.T. Tai, New York, 29 December 1959.
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

There is a triangular chip to the bottom edge on one side, with an associated short crack. The mouth of the dragon is bent. Overall with expected minor losses to the extremities and to the gilding; the surface with minor wear and malachite encrustation, all consistent with age. Please note that this lot includes a stand, frame or other component made from a type of Chinese hardwood, which, if exported, will require a CITES permit to leave the United States.
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.

See a closely related bronze handle, containing remnants of brush bristles in the rectangular socket, excavated from a Western Han tomb in Shuoxian, Shanxi province in 1983, published in Qu Shengrui, 'Shanxi Shuoxian xihan bingxue muguo mu [Western Han tomb in Shuoxian, Shanxi province]', Wenwu, no. 6, 1987, pl. 7, fig. 3. Compare also a gilt-bronze handle of this type, included in the exhibition Arts of the Scholar's Studio, The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 126 and later exhibited in Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 108; another exhibited in Kandai no bijutsu [The art of the Han Dynasty], Osaka Municipal Art Museum, Osaka, 1974, pl. 2-95; and a third decorated with a scroll motif on the rectangular socket, sold at Christie's New York, 15th September 2011, lot 1148.