A GILT-BRONZE ‘FIGHTING DRAGONS’ SWORD FITTING, WARRING STATES PERIOD TO HAN DYNASTY
China, 5th century BC to 2nd century AD. Finely cast, the round pommel is decorated with two dragons gripping each other with their claws and biting the other’s tail. The smooth bronze is covered overall in gilding and terminating with a hollow square extension for attachment to the sword hilt.


Provenance:
P.C. Lu Works of Art Ltd, Hong Kong. From a private collection in the northeastern United States, acquired from the above. Started as a small business in January 1976 in Hong Kong, selling Chinese antiques, P.C. Lu was able to scale operations, eventually sending his son Fred to the MIT to pursue his PhD. Today, many objects from his fine collection are housed in the British Museum.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Signs of wear and some weathering, dents, the gilding is worn around the edges exposing the chocolate-brown patina to the bronze. Some nicks to the square fitting.

Weight: 101.9 g
Dimensions: Diameter 4.7 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related hilt fitting, 4.6 cm in diameter, dated to the Han dynasty, in the British Museum, registration number 1932,0316.18. Compare a related bronze fitting dating to the Western Han Dynasty depicting a leopard, illustrated by J. Rawson and E. Bunker in Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kon, 1990, cat. no. 113. Compare a related bronze fitting with three coiled dragons, formerly in the Dr. Carl Kempe Collection, illustrated in Chinese Gold and Silver, Ulricehamn, 1999, cat. no. 11. Compare also a near-identical example in Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Jessa Rawson and Emma Bunker, number 113, described there as the depcition of a 'leopard in relief'.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonham’s London, 11 May 2021, lot 41
Price: GBP 3,187 or approx.
EUR 4,700
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare gold-sheet-mounted bronze embossed ‘dragon’ fitting, Warring States Period or Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the similar shape and dragon motif. Note the size (4.5 cm).




戰國至漢代銅鎏金龍紋劍配件

中國，西元前五世紀至西元二世紀。圓形鞍頭上飾有兩條雙龍圖案，鑄工精細。整體鎏金光滑，末端有一個空心方形延伸部分，用於連接劍柄。


來源：
香港P.C. Lu Works of Art Ltd藝術公司；美國東北部私人收藏購於上述公司。P.C. Lu 藝術公司於1976 年 1 月在香港成立，最初是一家銷售中國古董的小企業，後來擴大運營規模，最終將他的兒子Fred送到麻省理工學院攻讀博士學位。 如今，他的許多精美收藏品都收藏在大英博物館中。

品相：
狀況良好，有磨損和一些風化、凹痕，邊緣處有鎏金磨損，可見褐色的銅鏽暴露在青銅色下。 方形配件上有一些刻痕。

重量：101.9 克
尺寸：直徑 4.7 釐米


文獻比較：

比較一件非常相近的漢代劍配件，直徑4.6 釐米，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1932,0316.18。比較一件相近的西漢青銅豹紋劍配件，見J. Rawson和E. Bunker，《Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes》，香港，1990年，圖錄編號113。比較一件相近的三條盤龍紋劍配件，曾藏於Dr. Carl Kempe Collection，見《Chinese Gold and Silver，Ulricehamn》，1999年，圖錄編號11。比較一件幾乎相同的例子，Jessa Rawson 和 Emma Bunker，見《Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes》，編號 113，在書中描述為“浮雕豹”。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦邦瀚斯，2021年5月11日，lot 41
價格：GBP 3,187（相當於今日
EUR 4,700
）
描述：戰國/漢貼金銅蟠龍紋飾
專家評論：比較相似的外型和龍主題。請注意尺寸 (4.5 釐米)