Page 41 - Sotheby's Part I Collection of Sir Joeseph Hotung Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022

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؇ ڡ A BRONZE 'TIGER' FERRULE, ࡥ ⺗ A MINIATURE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA,
մ ზ EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, WARRING STATES PERIOD ږ TANG DYNASTY
኷ ډ modelled as a ferocious feline with open jaws, together with its front legs tightly grasping the robe-twist border, the muscular haunches ზ seated atop a circular lotus base in royal ease, with one arm resting on the raised knee and holding a cintamani, the expressive face

਷ Җ terminating in sharp-clawed paws, the thick tail slightly coiling at the end, the body decorated overall with well-defined stripes enhanced ங looking intently and gazing upwards, adorned with an ornamented headdress, jewellery, sashes and a draped dhoti
ࣛ ㉒ by C-scrolls, the underside further adorned with an animal bovine mask beneath its front legs and a small deer between the hind paws ޜ 4.5 cm
9.2 cm
ಂ മ PROVENANCE Ը๕j
PROVENANCE Ը๕j P.C. Lu & Sons, Ltd, Hong Kong, 3rd May 1989. ኁˤ˨ɿϞࠢʮ̡d࠰ಥd1989ϋ5˜3˚
Peter Lai Antiques Ltd, Hong Kong, 14th August 1992. ኇˤِ̚d࠰ಥd1992ϋ8˜14˚ ᔜ EXHIBITED ࢝ᚎj
EXHIBITED ࢝ᚎj Ѭ British Museum, London, on loan, 1992-2015.
British Museum, London, on loan, 1992-2013. ɽߵ௹ي᎜dࡐ౱d࠾࢝d1992-2015ϋ
ɽߵ௹ي᎜dࡐ౱d࠾࢝d1992-2013ϋ ྅ HK$ 40,000-60,000
HK$ 50,000-70,000 US$ 5,100-7,700
US$ 6,400-9,000

The present piece, similar to other ferrules of the period, were made Zhou bronzes], vol. 3, 1989, p. 326, top right. See also a bronze
to cap the foot of ceremonial poles or weapons, such as spears; it ferrule modelled as a crouching tiger in the British Museum, London,
not only protects the shaft but also highlights the superiority of its accession no. 1932,1014.13; and a silver-inlaid bronze example,
owner. These ferrules appear to have been conceived individually, included in Jessica Rawson and Emma C. Bunker, Ancient Chinese
showcasing the borderless creativity of the Zhou dynasty artisans. and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1990,
cat. no. 88.
A closely related ferrule of the same design is published in Hayashi
Minao, In shu jidai seidoki no kenkyu [Conspectus of Yin and

80 I FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUING ༉းྡ፽ʫ࢙ሗᓭᚎ SOTHEBYS.COM/HK1293 THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF THE LATE SIR JOSEPH HOTUNG I 81