Lot 9. A rare parcel gilt-bronze model of chimera, Warring States Period-Eastern Han Dynasty (475 BC-220 AD); 8.5cm (3 3/8in) diam. Estimate 3 000 € - 5 000 €. Sold for 44,475 €. Photo Fabrice Gousset

Well cast in a striding posture defined by an arched body trailed by a long curling tail and flanked by cast and incised wings, the head detailed with two horns above protruding eyes and a long, upturned snout exposing its sharp fangs, stand.

Provenance: Robert Rousset, Paris (1901-1981), acquired prior to 1935
Jean-Pierre Rousset, Paris (1936-2021).

Note: Compare with a related bronze model of a tiger, Warring States, illustrated by Wen Fong, The Great Bronze Age of China, London, 1980, p.3010, fig.101. See also a related bronze figure of a mythical winged beast inlaid with silver, Eastern Zhou dynasty, from the Royal tombs of the Zhongshan state, Pingshan county, Hebei Province, illustrated by J.Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China: New Discoveries from the Early Dynasties, London, 1996, p.156.

Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr Paris. The Robert and Jean-Pierre Rousset Collection of Asian Art: A Century of Collecting - Part 1. Paris, 25 october 2022.