cast as a pair of conjoined twin birds, with mouths open and beaks oriented skyward, the heads detailed with brows, round eyes, crest plumes, and ears, the neck feathers combed and splayed around the entwined necks, one with scrolled tail feathers held aloft, the other pinned down forming a tripod support opposite the wings, the underside of the rounded double-body cast with diminutive talons, decorated throughout with archaistic gold and silver inlay with an enhanced greenish-brown patina, wood stand (2)

Ben Birillo, New York, 6th November 1972.

With an old consolidated repair to the underside and to the side of the upturned tail feathers. There are traces of applied green and brown pigment throughout. There is wear and tarnish to the silver and wear to the gold inlay; and a dent to the wing and minor compression areas. With typical surface wear. Please note that this lot includes a stand, frame or other component made from a type of Chinese hardwood, which, if exported, will require a CITES permit to leave the United States.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Renewed appreciation for archaic bronzes in the Song dynasty gave rise to subsequent silver and gold-inlaid archaistic vessels, largely attributed to the Song and Ming dynasties. A related vessel from the collection of Henri Cernuschi and currently in the Musée Cernuschi, Paris, was included in the exhibition Bronzes de la Chine Imperiale: des Song aux Qing, Musée Cernuschi, Paris, 2013, cat. no. 46. A gold and silver-inlaid bronze vessel of the same form, but diminutive in size, in the collection of Mrs. Walter Sedgwick, sold in our London rooms, 2nd July 1968. Other related examples include: one from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, exhibited in Early Chinese Miniatures, China House Gallery/China Institute in America, New York, 1977, cat. no. 222 and later sold at Christie's New York, 1st December 1994, lot 70, attributed to the Song or Ming dynasty; another of different form is illustrated in Christian Deydier, Chinese Bronzes, New York, 1980, pl. 148 and attributed to the Song dynasty; a vessel with a wheel base, attributed to the Ming dynasty and sold in these rooms, 12th April 1990, lot 383; and a Mandarin duck-form washer attributed to the Ming dynasty and sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 20th November 1985, lot 252.