Lot 3192. A silvery bronze circular mirror, Sui dynasty (581-618); 6¼ in. (16 cm.) diam. Estimate $7,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised $8,750. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015.

The central knob is surrounded by trefoil motifs within a square border. The main field is cast in relief with four muscular, leonine beasts shown amidst clouds and separated by four V-shaped angles issuing from a narrow bead border encircled by a raised sawtooth border and an outer inscription band below a further sawtooth border at the raised rim, Japanese wood box.

Property of the Sano Art Museum, Mishima city, Shizuoka.

Provenance: Kipei Takeuchi (1873-1960).
Ryuichi Sano (1889-1977), acquired in Tokyo, 1950s.

Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 15 - 16 March 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza