A gilt-bronze and tiger-cowrie-shell 'deer' mat weight. Western Han Dynasty

The recumbent deer finely cast with his head slightly raised, and legs folded along the edges of the flat base, the body hollow-cast to enclose a large russet-marked cowrie shell, the gilt of a rich tone. 10.6cm (4¼in) long..Sold for £6,000

Provenance: Lord Caccia
John Sparks Ltd.
An English private collection

Note: Mat weights, such as the present example, are believed to have been made in sets of four, which were filled with lead to give them extra weight. The combination of the deer and the cowrie shell was highly auspicious; the word for deer, 'lu', is a homonym for wealth, and cowrie shells had been used in China as a form of currency. It is also believed that the russet spots on the cowrie shell were reminiscent of the sacred spotted deer, which had the ability to find lingzhi, the fungus of immortality.

Another similar gilt-bronze example in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Canada was recently published by B.Till, 'Ornaments of Wealth and Power: Bronze, silver and gold Artefacts of Ancient China and Neighbouring Regions', Arts of Asia, 39(20), Jan/Feb. 2009, p.61, fig.24.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art, 14 May 2009. New Bond Street www.bonhams.com