A bronze mirror with Daoist immortals and mythical animals, China, later Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD). Photo Nagel Auktionen

the well cast dark grey mirror is decorated with numerous Daoist immortals, celestial beings and mythical animals in relief arranged in a horizontal register, the partly shiny grey surface is sparsely covered with malachite copper oxide and earth encrustations, the silvery specular side is densely covered with small greyish-green dots of copper corrosion, otherwise very good condition, diam: 11,8 cm. - Estimate 4 000/6 000 €

Provenance: Property from an important private collection of Chinese Art.

Compare: Shanghai Museum (ed.), Ancient bronze mirrors from the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai: Shanghai Museum, 2005, no. 56, dated Eastern Han dynasty, 10. Jahr der Jian'an Ära (205), diam. 13,2 cm, an almost identical mirror with same motifs and register, diam. 13,2 cm, dated to the end of East Han dynasty (206 AD).

Nagel Auktionen. 2013/05/08. http://www.auction.de/