A rare silver-inlaid bronze finial, dingshi, Warring States period. Estimate US$ 12,000 - 15,000 (€11,000 - 13,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Cast in the shape of a gracefully recumbent bird, its head turned back, the elegantly curved beak resting on the body, the bronze finial inlaid in silver with a geometric pattern that articulates the animal's plumage, all above an integral socket pierced with a hole for attachment, the finial with scattered, green encrustation. 1 7/16in (3.5cm) x 2 3/4 (7cm)

Provenance: J.J. Lally & Co, New York, April 16, 2002

Notes: Birds were a common decorative motif in the Western Zhou period, when a profusion of highly abstracted animal forms emerged in the decorative arts, most notably in the ornament of ritual bronze vessels. Avian motifs took on greater realism in the Eastern Zhou and the present lot is a good example of this aesthetic evolution. While quite stylized, the sophisticated geometric inlay attractively suggests the animal's feather patterns and the contours of its musculature. The particular pose of the bird depicted in this finial, with head turned back towards the body, perhaps in sleep, is common to many of the silver-inlaid bronze finials of this type that have been published and dated to the Warring States period. Most bird finials lack the luxurious silver inlay that we observe here, which suggests that the present piece belonged to an individual of particularly elite status. See a silver-inlaid example of very similar silhouette, dated Warring States period or Western Han dynasty, formerly in the Avery Brundage Collection,now in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. See also a finial of related form, inlaid with gold and silver, in the Xi'an Municipal Museum, exhibited in 'China's Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor's Legacy.' An unusual serpentine finial, dated to the Han dynasty, of markedly close shape and with similar feather patterns, was offered at Sotheby's, London, November 29, 1988, lot 32.

Bonhams. EIGHT TREASURES FROM A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTION. 16 Mar 2015 11:45 EDT - NEW YORK