Lot 3673. A bronze spade-shaped object, Tang to Ming dynasty; 21.6 cm., 8 1/2 in. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 HKD. Lot sold 137,500 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the enigmatic object cast in the form of a warped and pointed triangular-shaped vessel, possibly of ritual significance, cast with a raised boss, reminiscent of a solar motif, amidst a semi-circle, alongside an illegible character cast in relief, the reverse cast with a small key-shaped aperture, the patina of a mottled grey with patches of malachite encrustation, hongmu stand

Provenance: Shogado & Co., Tokyo, 5th September 1960.
Thence by descent.

Note: The significance of this rare bronze object is an enigma, but It has clearly been preserved as a scholar's object. It is possible that it is of ritual significance, and is possibly emblematic of Mount Tai, with its acute triangular form, natural contours and irregularities, combined with the motif of a sun.

Mount Tai is the foremost of the five sacred mountains of China, associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal. It has been venerated and worshipped since at least the Shang dynasty, one of the principal places where the emperor would pay homage to heaven (on the summit) and earth (at the foot of the mountain).

Sotheby's. Contemporary Literati — A Gathering, Hong Kong, 07 april 2014