An extremely rare and superb 8-lobed bronze mirror with inset part-gilt repoussé silver sheet. Tang dynasty. photo Nagel Auctions

The back of this large 8-lobed bronze mirror is set with a repoussé gilt silver sheet. It is in excellently executed repoussé work decorated on a ring-matted background in high relief with a large, crouching lion shaped animal in the centre, surrounded by six frolicking, slender lions jumping and playing between honeysuckle scrolls forming a circle around each felide. The concave border is decorated with small, partly flying birds amongst the scrolling leafy tendrils. The border of the rim and the specular side is extensively covered with malachite green and greyish-brown corrosion with earth encrustations. Good condition. D. 19,5 cm - Estimate 50 000 €

Cf. Sun Fu Xi (ed.), "Xi'an wenwu jinghua tongjing. Bronze Mirror", Xi'an 2008, nos. 76 and 77, two 8-lobed bronze mirrors, one large mirror with inset repoussé gold sheet, diam. 19,7 cm, and the other smaller one with inset gilt silver repoussé sheet, diam. 8,6 cm, both dated to the Tang Dynasty 

Christian Deydier, Oriental Bronzes Ltd, London, 10.+11.12.1985, nos. 21 and 22, two miniature, 8-lobed mirrors, diam. 5,5 cm, with inset repoussé silver sheet, bth dated to the Tang dynasty

Christian Deydier, Oriental Bronzes Ltd, London, 10.+11.12.1985, nos. 21 and 22, two miniature, 8-lobed mirrors, diam. 5,5 cm, with inset repoussé silver sheet, both dated to the Tang Dynasty.

Nagel Auctions. Asian Art. November 3rd 2011. www.auction.de