A LARGE AND FINE SILVER LADLE, TANG DYNASTY
China, 8th-9th century. The deep, petal-lobed bowl is finely engraved on the exterior with foliate scroll on a minutely ring-punched ground. The long, elegantly curved, tapering handle is similarly decorated with further foliate scroll and terminates in a neatly gilt bird's head.


Provenance:
From an old private collection in New York, USA, assembled before 1980 and thence by descent.

Condition:
Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected tarnish to silver, ancient wear overall, traces of usage, few tiny nicks here and there. The handle with faint traces of solder where it connects to the bowl, probably inherent to manufacture.

Weight: 58.1 g
Dimensions: Length 28.6 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related silver ladle, also with a petal-lobed bowl and bird-head terminal, 33 cm long, dated to the 8th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 22.79.5. Compare a related silver ladle, also with engraved foliate decoration, petal-lobed bowl, and bird-head terminal, dated to the first half of the 8th century, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1945.169. Compare a related gilt silver ladle, also with a petal-lobed bowl and bird-head terminal, 30.8 cm long, dated to the 9th century, in the Seattle Art Museum, accession number 45.66. A related ladle was included in the exhibition Chinesisches Gold und Silber. Die Sammlung Pierre Uldry, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, 1994, cat. no. 157. A related ladle originally in the collections of Mrs. Christian R. Holmes and the Hon. Senator Hugh Scott, included in the China Institute in America exhibition Early Chinese Gold and Silver, China House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 72, and illustrated in Hugh Scott, The Golden Age of Chinese Art, Rutland, Vermont, 1967, pl. 13, was sold at Christie’s New York, 2 December 1982, lot 399.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 12 September 2019, lot 553
Price: USD 225,000 or approx.
EUR 244,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare large silver ladle, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form with similar petal-lobed bowl, elegantly curved handle, and bird-head terminal, which however is not gilt. Also compare the closely related decoration with similarly engraved foliate scroll against a ring-punched ground, albeit further with three birds. Note the similar size (26 cm) and weight (67.5 g).




唐代鏨花銀勺

中國，八至九世紀。貝殼形勺，精美鏨刻卷葉紋與串珠紋。長而優雅的弧形執柄同樣工藝裝飾，末端飾有鎏金鳥頭頭。


來源：
美國紐約私人收藏，購於1980年前，保存至今。

品相：
狀況極好，銀色會失去光澤，整體磨損，有使用痕跡，大面積細小的刻痕。手柄與碗的連接處有微弱的焊料痕跡，可能是製造過程中固有的。

重量：58.1 克
尺寸：長 28.6 厘米


文獻比較:

比較一件相近的八世紀銀勺，亦有瓣形勺和鳥頭端，長33 厘米，收藏於大都會藝術博物館，館藏編號22.79.5。比較一件相近的八世紀上半葉銀勺，亦有瓣形勺和鳥頭端，收藏於芝加哥藝術博物館，館藏編號1945.169。比較一件相近的九世紀錯金銀勺，亦有瓣形勺和鳥頭端，長30.8 厘米，收藏於西雅圖博物館，館藏編號45.66。一件相近的銀勺，展覽於《Chinesisches Gold und Silber. Die Sammlung Pierre Uldry》，Rietberg博物館，蘇黎世，1994年，圖錄編號157。一件相近的勺 ，收藏於Mrs. Christian R. Holmes和Hon. Senator Hugh Scott，見《China Institute in America exhibition Early Chinese Gold and Silver》，China House Gallery，紐約，1971年，圖錄編號72，以及見Hugh Scott，《The Golden Age of Chinese Art》，佛蒙特州拉特蘭市，1967年，圖13，見紐約佳士得，1982年12月2日，lot 399。


拍賣比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2019年9月12日，lot 553
價格：USD 225,000（相當今日
EUR 244,000
）
描述：唐銀鏨刻花鳥紋花形勺
專家註釋：比較非常相近的外形、相似的瓣形勺和鳥頭端，但沒有鎏金。比較非常相近裝飾，也刻有類似的葉狀捲軸，儘管還刻有三隻鳥。請注意相似的尺寸 (26 厘米) 和重量(67.5 公克)。