Page 72 - 2019 September 12th Christie's New York Chiense Art Masterpieces of Chinese Gold and Silver

MASTERPIECES OF EARLY CHINESE GOLD AND SILVER | 金紫銀青 - 中國早期金銀器粹珍

537

A RARE AND UNUSUAL SMALL SILVER GARMENT HOOK
HAN DYNASTY (206 BC-AD 220)
The heavily cast hook is shaped as a horned and winged mythical beast The same kind of sculptural depiction of an animal can be seen on an
with a ferce expression and sharp-clawed feet shown crouching on the equally small gold garment hook from a Western Han tomb, illustrated
button. The body and back are fnely detailed with scales terminating in a by Jay Xu ed., Tomb Treasures: New Discoveries from China’s Han
long, curved tail ending in a bird’s head hook. Dynasty, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, 2017, p. 152, no. 66, which
depicts a rabbit rather than the more fantastic animal seen on the
1Ω in. (3.8 cm.) long; weight 20.3 g
present garment hook.
$30,000-50,000
漢 銀瑞獸形帶鉤
PROVENANCE
Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953,
no. CK85.
Sotheby’s London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork.
Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 33.

EXHIBITED
Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold & Silver in the
Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 85.
LITERATURE
Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold & Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection,
Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 85.
Chinese Gold & Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art
and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 388.

(detail)

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