Lot 1402. A miniature gold sheet-inlaid bronze octafoil mirror, China, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907); 2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) wide. Estimate $6,000 - $8,000. Price Realized $43,750. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015
The bronze mirror inlaid with a gold sheet chased with a central crouching animal surrounded by two lions alternating with birds amidst grapevine, all on a ring-punched ground below a raised, ring-punched border, box. Bronze mirror 65 g. Gold sheet 5 g
Provenance: The Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, New York, acquired in Hong Kong, 1989.
Notes: Tiny mirrors were known as 'inch mirrors' (cunjing) or 'sleeve mirrors' (xiujing) due to their extremely portable nature. Popular during the Tang dynasty, such small, but intricately decorated, mirrors were favored by nobility. The technique of decorating mirrors with gold or silver sheeting is not only representative of Tang opulence but is also a testament to the skill of Tang metal-smiths.
Christie's. THE COLLECTION OF ROBERT HATFIELD ELLSWORTH PART IV - CHINESE WORKS OF ART: METALWORK, SCULPTURE AND EARLY CERAMICS, 20 March 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza.
