A bronze 'Four Animals' mirror, Han Dynasty - Sotheby's

the pierced knop surrounded by a flowerhead and enclosed within rope-twist borders, the main field cast with the animals of the four directions divided by bosses: the green dragon (qinglong) representing the east, the red bird (zhuqiao), the south, the white tiger (baihu), the west, and the snake-coiled turtle (yuanwu), the north, the design all enclosed by the heavily cast raised rim, the silvery patina with patches of green and brown encrustation. Diameter 6 1/2  in., 16.4 cm. Estimation: 8,000 - 10,000 USD

PROVENANCE: Collection of Gale R. Blosser (1913-2009), acquired from the collection of J.J. Todd, Palo Alto, California, 15th January 1973.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 19 mars 2013 www.sotheys.com