Nagel. "Asiatische Kunst - Salzburg", 06.12.2017
A bronze 'ding' with lid and two curved u-shaped handles, Eastern Zhou dynasty, late 6th to early 5th century BC
Lot 146. A bronze 'ding' with lid and two curved u-shaped handles, Eastern Zhou dynasty, late 6th to early 5th century BC. Estimate 5.000/8.000 €. Lot sold 17.000 €. Courtesy Nagel
With animal masks in high relief at the top of the legs. Interlocking C-shaped dragons, alternately upright and inverted, fill the register on both the cover and the bowl. Narrower registers, one at the perimeter of the lid, the other encircling the lower part of the basin below the bow-string, contain S-shaped dragons. All the dragons are ornamented with fine spirals and meanders. The lid is decorated with three plastic calfs. Mold marks can be seen on the bottom of the basin. The U-shaped handles with dragon and stylized wave decor. Minor chips, few small rep.spots, few spots with corrosion.
Provenance: Property from an old Berlin private collection, acquired at Ruth Schmidt gallery Berlin in 1983.
Note: Cf. So, Jenny: Eastern Zhou ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, nos. 16 (Sotheby's, 29 Feb. 1972, Lot 143) and 18 (Sotheby's, 2 Mar. 1971, Lot 49), p. 142-151; Cf. 1936,1118.7