About this lot
Description
A rare and important Archaic bronze snake lamp, Warring States period / early Western Han dynasty, the bronze sinous snake with jaws opening onto channelled oil tray, green patina, 52cm high In addition to the buyer's premium of 27% (22.5% + VAT) payable on the Hammer Price, this lot is also subject to import VAT at the reduced rate of 5%, payable on the Hammer Price. This indicates that the lot has been imported from outside the European Union.
Provenance: Sotheby's New York, sale March 31 - April 1, 2005, Lot 162 Gallery J J Lally, New York Other Notes: Cast in the form of a snake, the simple design of this lamp suggests that it may have been influenced by the art of the Chu State. Snake form lamps are exceptionally rare; one other known example is a Zhou dynasty bronze ornament in the shape of a coiled snake in the Mus‚e Guimet, Paris and illustrated in Alain Thote's 'Aspects of the Serpent on Eastern Zhou Bronzes and Lacquerware', Colloquies on Art and Archaeolgoy in Asian, no 15: The Problem and Meaning in Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes, London 1990, p152, pl 3. Far more common for the Han Dynasty were goose foot lamps; examples of which can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Shanghai Museum, China. Here, the body of the snake bends six times as it winds upwards, its jaws engulfing one side of the three-lobed channelled oil tray, whilst its tail coils at the base in perfect counterbalance. The body has lightly cast 'D' shaped scales; the surface covered in a green patina with patches of malachite and cuprite encrustation. The Bronze Age of China began in 1700 BC and declined after the Han Dynasty (206BC - 220AD). During the Han Dynasty lamps became the main source of lighting and an important household item. Lamps also provided light for the soul's path to the afterlife and most lamps in existence today have been excavated from tombs. The dating of this lot is consistent with the results of the thermoluminescence test, Oxford Authentication, Ltd, no. C204c75.
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