Lot 142
- 142
A RARE BONE 'MYTHICAL BEAST' FITTING SHANG DYNASTY |
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 USD
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Description
- Height 3 1/4 in., 8.1 cm
carved in the form of a bovine head detailed with recessed diamond-shaped eyes framed by a band of leiwen and a broad nose with leiwen defining the nostrils, flanked by a pair of leaf-shaped ears, one pricked and the other curving to the back, all beneath two large upright curving horns, the back with a rectangular socket surrounded by leiwen, the top pierced with two apertures
Provenance
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).
Condition
In overall good condition with expected wear and losses to the extremities, including to the lower edge on the back.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Bone fittings of this type are rare due to the fragility of the material. Compare a related dragon head-form fitting of a smaller size, less elaborate than the present example, from the Ping Y. Tai Foundation, sold at Christie's 17th September 2008, lot 223. Another taotie mask fitting from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection was sold at Christie's New York, 18th March 2009, lot 249. See also Shang bone carvings of full animals, excavated from the tomb of Lady Hao in Anyang, Henan province, published in The Institute of Archaeology, CASS, The Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang, Beijing, 1980, pl. CLXXXIII, fig. 3; another from the Sze Yuan Tang Collection, sold twice at Christie's New York, first 21st September 1995, lot 129, and then 21st-22nd March 2013, lot 1192; and a bird from the collection of Georges Halphen, sold at Christie's Paris, 20th November 2003, lot 430.