Lot 1062. Collector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections. A bronze circular 'Immortals' mirror, Eastern Han dynasty (25 BC-AD 220); 19 cm diam., metal stand. Price realised USD 8,960 (Estimate USD 7,000 – USD 9,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026
 

The mirror is cast with two figural groups, each with a central figure flanked by two attendants. One central figure is identified by inscription as Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West) and the other central figure is identified by inscription as Dongwanggong (King Father of the East).

Provenance: J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 23 January 2006, no. 4050.

Note: A smaller bronze mirror of the same theme, also with inscriptions identifying Xingwang and Dongwanggong inscribed next to the figures, is in the Shanghai Museum and illustrated in Bronze Mirrors in the Shanghai Museum's Collection, Shanghai, 1987, no. 50.

Lot 1063. Collector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections. A silver-backed parcel-gilt bronze 'animals and birds' octofoil mirror, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907); 13 cm wide. Price realised USD 53,760 (Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026
 

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 23 March 2004, lot 592.

Note: The present mirror is decorated with lions, tigers and birds enclosed by a foliate scroll and with a boar-form loop handle. A slightly larger bronze and gilt-silver mirror decorated with a similar design was included in the exhibition Animals and Animal Designs in Chinese Art, Eskenazi, New York,1998, no. 17 and another slightly larger silver-backed mirror with six lions around the central knop, now in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, and inscribed with a date equivalent to 682 – 683 AD beneath the silver backing, is illustrated in Grenville L. Winthrop: Retrospective for a Collector, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 1969, pp. 68-9, cat. no. 61.

Lot 1064. Collector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections. A rare large silvery-bronze 'ducks and lotus' lobed mirror, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907); 25.4 cm diam., lucite stand, cloth box. Price realised USD 48,640 (Estimate USD 15,000 – USD 25,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026
 

Provenance: J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 26 March 2002, no. 3626.

Note: A slightly smaller Tang bronze octafoil mirror, cast with a phoenix-and-dragon design and a comparable border pattern featuring flying ducks carrying silk cords in their beaks, is illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Bronze Mirrors in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, p. 212, pl. 119. The author notes that the silk cords (shou) held by the ducks symbolize the traditional auspicious wish feng guan jin jue (“rapid promotion to a higher rank”). They may also be understood as a punning reference to longevity, since shou, meaning ‘silk cord,’ is pronounced the same as shou, meaning ‘long life’. The tortoise that forms the central knop likewise conveys wishes for longevity, while the paired male and female Mandarin ducks symbolize marital fidelity and a harmonious marriage.

Lot 1066. Collector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections. A small silvery-bronze circular 'mythical beasts' mirror, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907); 12.1 cm diam., lucite and metal stand. Price realised USD 8,960 (Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026
 

The mirror is cast on the reverse with a long poetic inscription within one of the bands describing the luminous purity and enduring clarity of spirit.
 

Provenance: J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 10 December 2002, no. 0959.

Note: The poetic inscription on this mirror is purely ornamental and does not relate to the mythical beasts it surrounds. See a related bronze mirror with the same inscription, but decorated with lions and grapevine, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of Special Exhibition of Bronze Mirrors in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, pp. 150-1, pl. 73.

Lot 1067. Collector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections. A rare silvery-bronze 'Apsara' square mirror, Tang-Liao dynasty (AD 618-1125); 17.2 cm wide, metal stand. Price realised USD 25,600 (Estimate USD 8,000 – USD 12,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026
 

Provenance: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London, 14 June 2003.

Note: Apsaras (tian ren) are celestial beings or angels associated with Buddhism and are depicted in flight or floating wearing garments and scarves that trail behind them. A related mirror of squared foliate shape with four apsaras in the corners and similar mountain peaks is illustrated in Catalogue of Special Exhibition of Bronze Mirrors in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, pp. 214-15, pl. 120.

Christie's. Important Chinese Art Including Ceramics from the Art Institute of Chicago, New York, 17-18 September 2026