Page 45 - Chinese Art Auction April 25, 2020 2020 Galerie Zacke

42
A RARe gIlT-cOPPeR deATh MAsK,
lIAO dyNAsTy

China, 907-1125. The thinly beaten copper sheet subtly modeled to
the contours of a man’s face, chased with a mouth, nose and rounded
cheeks, with incised lines highlighting the closed and sunken eyes,
elegantly swung brows and raised mouth, the large ears embossed
neatly and protruding from each side of the face, two small holes at
the nose and tiny attachment holes all around the edges, the outer
surface gilded and with malachite-green encrustations overall.

Provenance: From a private collection in London, United Kingdom. By
repute purchased in London 29th August, 2003.
condition: Fine condition with some losses mostly around the edges,
wear and traces of use, patina and encrustations, minor warping, the
backside covered overall in a dense malachite-green patina.
scientific Report: Oxford Authentication Bronze Analysis report, AucTION ResulT
Sample No: r2073, from 12 October 2002, and respective conclusion cOMPARIsON
by Dr. Peter Northover, states: “Both composition and microstructure, Compare with a closely related
including corrosion, are consistent with a Liao date.” burial mask at Sotheby’s London in
Masterpieces of Chinese Precious
Weight: 286.7 g Metalwork, Early Gold and Silver, 14 May
Dimensions: Height 23.4 cm 2008, lot 92, sold for GBP £26,900.
Funerary masks are associated with the burial culture of the Qidan Liao
and many examples made of bronze, silver sheet or gilt bronze such as 罕見銅鎏金面具，遼代
the present example have been found in tombs of the Liao elite in Inner 中國，907-1125。由薄金片捶鏨而成，依據真人樣貌，濃眉厚唇，鼻樑高挺，雙目緊
Mongolia. Two impressive gold funerary masks were discovered in the royal 閉。周邊有穿孔，供連綴之用。表面鎏金，有孔雀石綠色結殼。
tomb of the Prince and Princess of Chen, dated 1018. Similarly made of thin 來源：英國倫敦私人收藏。據説購於2003年8月29日于倫敦。
hammered gold sheet, they are supposed to realistically portray some their 品相：品相良好，主要在邊緣有些缺損，磨損和使用痕跡，包漿和結殼，輕微翹曲，
owners’ facial features. 背面覆蓋著緻密的孔雀石綠銅綠。
科學鑑定報告：牛津鑑定實驗室於2002年10月12日的報告說明“成分和微觀結構，
With a modern plexiglass support. (2) 包括腐蝕，與遼時期相符“。
重量：286.7 克
尺寸：高23.4 厘米
Literature comparison: ‘The Liao Dynasty tomb of a Prince and Princess of 拍賣結果比較：一件相似的面具于倫敦蘇富比《Masterpieces of Chinese Precious
the Chen Kingdom’, Zhu Qixinin, Orientations, October 1991, fig. 11. For Metalwork, Early Gold and Silver》，2008年5月14日，拍號 92，成交價GBP
another example made in gilt bronze sheet and excavated from a Liao tomb £26.900。
at Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, see ‘The Silk road in Inner Mongolia’, Hong Kong,
2007, cat. no. 18. Also see similar examples in the Musée Guimet, Paris, estimate euR 4.000,-
reference no. MA2352, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2012-53-1. Starting price EUr 2.000,-

40