Lot 21. A bronze candle stand in the shape of an standing owl, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220). H. 11,2 cm. Sold: €18 000 (Est: €20 000 - €30 000). Courtesy Nagel.

Standing on its two legs with its long fla tail balancing the weight of the sculpture in the back, the bird has large eyes represented by a dotted circle done in intaglio. Between the eyes is a flange carved with fine ridges which ends at the long projecting beak. The ears are in the form of two rectangles decorated with slanted ridges all around the face. The socketed opening is cast centrally between the two ears. The wings are oval in shape and are decorated with patterns resembling feathers. Partial signs of age, the left foot restored.

Provenance: Property of the Goeritz family, Danzig and Berlin, acquired in 1989 from the art trade (purchase invoice available).

Note: A nearly identical piece in: Oi Ling Chiang: Collection Julius Eberhardt. Early Chinese Art, vol. 3, Hong Kong 2011, pp. 72f. Sold at Nagel Auction, November 2, 2013, auction 703, lot 3037. 

Fine Asian Art - Day I by Nagel Auction. Stuttgart, June 12, 2023