An inscribed bronze mirror, Sui dynasty (581–618)

Lot 3039. An inscribed bronze mirror, Sui dynasty (581–618); w. 7.2 cm, h. 6.5 cm. Lot sold: 201,600 HKD (Estimate: 30,000 - 50,000 HKD). © 2023 Sotheby's.

Provenance: Acquired in Japan, 2000s, by repute.

Note: The present mirror integrates Buddhist motifs in its design, such as lotus in the form of rosettes and palmettes, reflecting the increasing prevalence and influence of Buddhism in China beginning in the 5th century.

Compare an almost identical example preserved in the Shaanxi History Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan: qingtongjuan [Compendium of Chinese Art: Bronzes], Taipei, 1993, pl. 1264; and another similar inscribed example from the collection of Dr Franco Vannotti, illustrated in Chinese and Korean Art from the Collections of Dr Franco Vannotti, Hans Popper and others, Eskenazi Ltd, London, 1989, cat. no. 34.