| 中文版 English

具体要求

其它要求

-
关闭
A GILT-BRONZE ‘SILKWORM’ ORNAMENT, HAN DYNASTY
奥地利
09月11日 下午5点 开拍
此拍品禁止/限制出入境
拍品描述

Description

A GILT-BRONZE ‘SILKWORM’ ORNAMENT, HAN DYNASTY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

China, 206 BC-220 AD. The segmented body solid cast and supported on four paired legs on the grooved body, the neck and lifted head further segmented and with a pair of legs. The bronze with a naturally grown patina with areas of malachite encrustations peeking through the rich gilding.

Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, minor losses, expected flaking to gilt, areas of surface corrosion, the bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with malachite encrustation.

Weight: 33 g
Dimensions: Length 7.2 cm

Solidly cast, this bronze silkworm might have functioned as a weight or ornament in a Han dynasty tomb. Sericulture, or silk farming, was an important industry in ancient China and, with the opening of trade routes to the West during the second century BC, the export of silk became an important source of wealth. Accordingly, this tiny worm would have symbolized both luxury and economic prosperity to Han society.

This is a rare representation of the silkworm which was more commonly made in nephrite. The worship of the silkworm can be traced to the Shang Dynasty, when it was common to make human sacrifices during the silkworm ceremony. Representations of the silkworm are associated with the domestication, rearing of the silkworm, and the all-important silk weaving industry which was part of the essential economy of China. From the 3rd century AD, the spirit of the silkworm was personified by the Empress Xiling and worshiped in a special ceremony officiated by the Empress herself every year during the second half of the lunar month, with offerings of mulberry leaves and woven silk at a special altar set up in the silkworm temple or palace.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related gilt bronze silkworm, Han dynasty, 7 cm long, in the Asian Civilisations Museum, accession number 1995-00295. Compare a closely related gilt bronze silkworm, 3rd century BC-3rd century AD, 7.3 cm wide, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 96.55.1.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 21 September 2020, lot 301
Price: USD 12,575 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare gilt bronze model of a silkworm, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject albeit of more naturalistic form. Note the size (7.4 cm).

本场其它拍品

  • 竞价阶梯
  • 快递物流
  • 拍卖规则
  • 支付方式
竞价区间 加价幅度
0
10
50
50
600
100
1,600
200
4,000
500
8,000
1,000
16,000
2,000
40,000
5,000
80,000
10,000
160,000
20,000
+

价格信息

拍品估价:1,000 - 2,000 欧元 起拍价格:500 欧元  买家佣金: 35.00%

拍卖公司

Galerie Zacke
地址: Sterngasse 13, 1010 Vienna, Austria
电话: 0043-1-5320452
邮编: 1070
向卖家提问