Page 20 - Bonhams Sydney Asian Art December 8, 2021

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A BRONZE HEAD OF XIWANGMU Xiwangmu, also referred to as the Queen Mother of the West, is one
Song or Ming dynasty of the most important deities of the Daoist pantheon. She was often
19.2cm high, 29.5cm high (with stand) depicted wearing a headdress decorated with phoenix, a mythical bird
which, according to the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' (Shanhai jing
$20,000 - 40,000 《山海經》), compiled during the Han dynasty, inhabited the Immortal
Provenance: lands of the deity, along with other fantastic creatures such as the
Aaron Gallery Ancient Art Ltd., London three-footed crow, the nine-tailed fox, the dancing frog and the moon-
Norman Taylor Collection, prior to 22 June 1999 hare who pounded magical elixirs in a mortar.
Spink, London, 22 June 1999
The facial features and headdress decorating the present lot are
comparable with those depicted on two bronze figures of Xiwangmu,
元/明 銅西王母頭像
Ming dynasty, which were sold at Sotheby's London, 16 May 2007,
lot 38.
來源：
倫敦 Aaron Gallery Ancient Art Ltd.
Norman Taylor 先生，至1999年6月22日
倫敦 Spink, 1999年6月22日

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