A SILVER-INLAID BRONZE ‘BIRD’ FINIAL, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
China, 4th-3rd century BC. Well cast and finely decorated with neatly applied silver inlays, the elegantly formed bird with a long curved neck and beak, finely incised wings, and fanned-out tail feathers, supported on a straight hollow tube.


Provenance:
London trade. Acquired from a private estate, where it was kept for a rather long period, according to family repute.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Wear and corrosion, casting flaws, some losses, nicks, scratches. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with cuprite and malachite encrustations.

Dimensions: Height 5 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related later bronze bird finial, 7.4 cm high, dated to the Han Dynasty, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1916.337. Compare a related silver-inlaid bronze bird-shaped finial, 7.8 cm high, dated to the Eastern Zhou dynasty, 4th-3rd century BC, included in the exhibition Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1990, cat. no. 81.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 19 January 2023, lot 3037
Price: HKD 100,800 or approx.
EUR 11,500
converted at the time of writing
Description: A silver-inlaid bronze ‘bird’ staff finial, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period
Expert remark: Compare the related form with similar hollow base and patina with cuprite encrustations. Note the size (6.5 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 16 March 2017, lot 871
Price: USD 10,625 or approx.
EUR 12,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver-inlaid bronze bird-form finial, Warring States period
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling with a similar curved beak. Note the size (7 cm).



東周錯銀銅鳥形頂飾

中國，西元前四至三世紀。這隻造型優雅的鳥，鑄材精良，裝飾精美，銀鑲嵌整齊，頸部和喙長且彎曲，精雕細琢的翅膀和張開的尾羽，腹部連接空心直管。


來源：
倫敦交易。根據家族聲譽，由私人遺產購得，在家族中保存了相當長的一段時間。

品相：
狀況良好，與年齡相稱。磨損和腐蝕，鑄造缺陷，一些損失，刻痕，劃痕。具有豐富的自然生長銅綠，帶有紅綠色結殼。

尺寸：高5厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的漢代青銅鳥形頂飾，收藏於史密森學會國家亞洲藝術博物館，高 7.4 厘米，館藏編號F1916.337。比較一個相近的西元前4-3世紀的東周時期銀鑲嵌青銅鳥形頂飾，高7.8厘米，收錄於展覽《中國古代和鄂爾多斯青銅器》，香港藝術館，1990年，圖錄編號81。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2023年1月19日，lot 3037
價格：HKD100,800 （相當今日
EUR
11,500
）
描述：東周時期戰國時期銀鑲嵌青銅「鳥」杖頂端
專家評論：比較相近的外形與類似的空心底座，以及銅綠與銅石結殼進行。注意尺寸 （6.5 厘米）。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2017年3月16日，lot 871
價格：USD10,625 （相當今日
EUR
12,500
）
描述：戰國時期銀鑲嵌青銅鳥形頂端
專家評論：比較相近的模型與類似的彎曲喙。注意尺寸 （7 厘米）。