A bronze 'Dragon and Tiger' mirror, Han dynasty - Photo Sotheby's
the central boss encircled by two dragons and a tiger, the innermost convex band bearing an archaic inscription in light relief, the outer of short radial lines, the rim with a ring of dog-tooth and raised lines, the silvery-gray patina with patches of light brown encrustation, Japanese wood box (4); Diameter 4 in., 10.1 cm. Estimation: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
PROVENANCE: Kitayama Fine Arts, Tokyo, acquired in the 1970s.
EXHIBITED: Tokubetsu tenji rikucho jidai no kondoubutsu (Special Exhibition of Gilt-Bronze Buddhist Statues of the Six Dynasties Period), Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art, Izumi, 1991, cat. no. 48
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 19 mars 2013 - www.sothebys.com