Provenance: |The ram, Leslie Hindman, Chicago, 25 January 2010 lot 785|The qilin, Alexander Gallery, New York|The style and casting of the ram are very close to that of a bronze figure of a ram, dated Ming dynasty, sold in our London rooms, 9 November 2015, sale 22658, lot 321. The depiction of the qilin bears remarkable similarities to a drawing of such a beast printed in Sancai Tuhui (三才圖會), published in 1609. A bronze mirror stand, also dated Ming dynasty and with very similar style and casting, was sold in our London rooms, 19 February 2015, sale 21620, lot 196.