Lot 8086. A silvery bronze inscribed mirror, Sui dynasty. Sold for US$ 3,500 (€3,211). Photo Bonhams.

Cast in high relief with a domical knob forming the carapace of a turtle inscribed within a square and surrounded by the animal symbols of the four directions: the Azure Dragon of the East, the Red Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West and the Black Tortoise of the North enveloped by a snake; the animal-filled roundel in turn surrounded by the thirty-two character inscription beginning with Xian shan bing zhao cast in standard script and then delicate leaf scroll pattern on the canted edge of the tall rim; the decorated surfaces showing patches of blue-green patina that are more extensive on the reverse along with other burial deposits. 8 1/8in (20.7cm) diameter, 1,624g weight

Notes: The thirty-two character inscription on this mirror also appears on a Sui period mirror in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, excavated in 1954 in Xi'an. The Xi'an mirror differs slightly from this lot with a sixteen-petal flower forming the domical knob in the square reserve surrounded by the animal symbols of the Four Directions and pattern of shorter leaf scrolls forming the outside border band: seeLian xing shen ye: ying zhi liang gong - Shanghai bowuguan cang tongjing jingpin (Ancient Bronze Mirrors from the Shanghai Museum), 2005, no. 68 (17.5cm diameter, 1,074 grams weight).

See also the Sui period mirror with the same thirty-two character inscription excavated in 1955 in Changsha, Hunan published in Zhongguo qingtong qi quanji, 1993, vol. 16 Tongjing, no. 68 (22cm diameter): the central roundel of the Changsha mirror conforms to this lot; but outside the thirty-two inscription ring are cast the twelve Zodiac animal and a final band of leaf scrolls separated by tiny dots along the outside edge.

Bonhams. CHINESE, INDIAN AND HIMALAYAN WORKS OF ART AND PAINTINGS, 10 Dec 2015 10:00 PST - SAN FRANCISCO