Page 346 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Nov 2013 Hong Kong

532 532
A pair of archaic gilt-bronze ‘dragon’ finials
533 Eastern Han dynasty
344 | Bonhams Each gilt in rich gold and cast in the form of a dragon head issuing
from a curved elongated neck, the mythical beast with fearsome facial
expression and jaws opened to reveal sharp teeth, framed by a pair of
horns and furry mane at the neck.
Each: 15.6cm long. (2).
HK$60,000 - 80,000
US$7,700 - 10,000

東漢 銅鎏金龍首一對

Compare a similar gilt-bronze dragon finial, illustrated by Jessica Rawson
& Emma Bunker, Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1990,
p.179, no.84. According to the authors, these dragon finials were used
as handles for lacquer vessels.

533
An archaic bronze ‘dragon’ finial
Han dynasty
Finely cast in the form of a sinuous mythical dragon depicted crouching
on all fours, its body curved and ending in a hooked tail, the scales on its
long sinuous body body naturalistically depicted, its bulbous eyes flanked
by a pair of upright ears, the large mouth revealing sharp teeth and long
tongue.
12.2cm long.
HK$30,000 - 50,000
US$3,900 - 6,500

漢 青銅獸形飾件