Lot 1147. A bronze 'Lion and grapevine' mirror, Tang dynasty (618-907); 5 7/8 in. (15 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price Realised USD 6,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2013

The back is cast in high relief in the center with a loop in the form of a crouching animal surrounded by six further animals cavorting amidst a grapevine within a raised border and an outer field of various birds and insects amidst further grapevine set below detached clouds at the rim. The bronze has a silvery grey patina and areas of azurite and malachite encrustation. 

Provenance: Raymond A. Bidwell (1876-1954) Collection.
The Springfield Museums, Springfield, Massachusetts, accessioned in 1962.

Exhibited: Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts, 27 September - 2 October 1967.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 21 - 22 March 2013, New York, Rockefeller Plaza