Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Chinese: Metalwork (35)

Small cast bronze tripod incense burner. Beautiful finish. The two handles are in the shape of Buddhist lions heads. Qing Chinese. The bottom of the feet slightly flared would rather suggest a Japanese Edo creation but without certainty. Dirty. Width 65mm

Rare cane in silver and precious wood. It is a real walking cane (and not a thin umbrella handle reemployed) as evidenced by the large ball knob that we have well in hand. The cast silver pommel is chiseled with two dragons fighting and scenes of daily life, fishermen, plowman, warrior? On the top of the pommel a Chinese character protrudes, it is finely chiseled with broken lines in the style of "ice crack" (frosted cracks) which here certainly have a meaning which unfortunately escapes us. The barrel is interesting because it is cut in a beautiful orange wood which seems to us to be the precious Huang-Hualy of the Chinese. The grain of the wood is very fine, the fibers dense and the color is natural, moreover it seems to be covered with a thin layer of transparent lacquer like all the best quality Chinese wooden furniture. The tip is in steel set with bronze, simple but also of good quality, it is certainly original tip. The whole is harmonious and very elegant. Good general condition, normal wear. Chinese or Vietnamese work from the end of the 19th century. Total length: 900mm Pommel diameter: 49mm

Cast and turned bronze vase. Decor of bamboo, rocks and Greek friezes incised and inlaid with silver wires. The bronze has a beautiful original patina. It lacks inlays that have come off over time. Probably china or vietnam 19th centurie. Height about 16cm. No restaure.

Kapala lid in embossed copper and gilded with mercury technic.Dimension: 96x103x35mm Good condition, slightly worn gilding on the reliefs. Beautiful old patina. Tibet 19th century or before.

Cast bronze censer gilded with mercury. Decor of Greek friezes and incised precious objects. The gilding is largely worn, we still see some in the places most protected from wear and tear. It is thick and of good quality, it is a hot-pasted mercury gilding technique. The handles are attached to the body they were cast with it, they are not added, riveted or welded, they represent dragon heads. On the base foot we can see a vertical dark trace of solding that is probably an old restauration. Difficult to certified the antiquity of this bronze ,because cleaned intensively and the old patina missing, but the beautifull and correct gilding traces is encouraging. China Qing 18th centurie? Wide with the handles : 15cm. Weight 550g

4 elements of a dragon in embossed copper or bronze and hot-gilded with mercury. 2 or 3 elements must be missing. The dragon's legs have 4 claws which would seem to exclude imperial affiliation, however the monumental size of more than 5 to 6 meters long would indicate an order for a temple or for the palace of an important person. You have to imagine the golden dragon writhing on an immense panel of dark wood carved with flames and clouds. We had thought that the dragon could be partly hidden by the clouds, as in certain paintings, but the fact that 2 of the 4 elements join end to end seems to exclude this hypothesis. The metal sheet is thick, the embossed work is of good quality and the details are finely executed. The eyes are made of copper alloy with a black patina. In certain places, small openings are made in the metal to accommodate small decorative elements, such as the mustaches which have now disappeared. The gilding is worn as shown in the photos. Some details are riveted. Beautiful old patina, oxidation on the reverse. This is an absolutely unique set. We do not know of any other example. Head dimensions: 820x500x65mm. The other elements have approximately the same size. It is difficult to give a precise date. Certainly during a prosperous period in China, we would say before 1850 probably 18th century.

A cast bronze censer representing a mandarin duck. Beautiful cast and excellent neat finish. Missing the cover and a broken leg lost and replaced. The bronze is covered with a beautiful old patina certifying the object 19th or before. Qing or Edo period. Long 17cm.

A cast bronze vase. Finely executed. The finish is nice, made with a lathe and a scraper. Very elegant decoration of chains and tassels inlaid in gold and silver. At the neck a frieze of stylized dragons. Beautiful old patina, good condition, no restoration. No mark. High: 30cm.

Small Buddhist lion in almost solid cast bronze. The object is heavy. Beautiful active and fierce expression. Details meticulously chiselled with precision. It is probably work from Vietnam or South China. A very beautiful bronze patina announces a 19th century period or before. Underneath there is no fastening mark, so it was not the grip button of a lid. Not a weight either because part of the underside is hollow. Hight: 6cm. Fine condition.

Thick cast bronze censer depicting a goose spreading its wings. I believe it is cast in two parts separately, the goose and the vessel then brazed together. Interesting subject, very nice finish and chasing. Old patina. No gilding, no restoration. Width the largest 14,5cm.

Pair of cast bronze cranes. The birds are fixed on rectangular bases, they carry a vase on their back and a ball in their beak. Sometimes these birds hold in their beak a flowering stem which ends in a candle holder, but here, examination with a magnifying glass reveals neither fracture nor grinding, it would seem that they are simply balls.Is this related to the funerary practice of placing a ball in the mouth of the deceased? A scholar must surely know what it is. Similarly, the vases are not hollowed out, which prevents the possibility of inserting incense sticks into them; they only have a decorative function. The cranes have an unusually fierce expression, the workmanship is rustic, the casting of the bronze has imperfections, and the chasing is weak. The patina is old. The bases are filled with lead to weight the birds and make them more stable. On the base you can see ferrous oxide stains because the inside of the legs is reinforced with iron rods, this is not a restoration but originally designed for the strength of the legs. Despite the rusticity (or thanks to it) there emerges a peaceful force from these 2 small statuettes. The vases were separated and resoldered with tin. Probably Chinese work from the Qing period or much earlier. Height: 17cm.

An extremely rare gilt bronze folding sundial-compass. Enamel dial, details in glass beads. The metal is finely chiselled with elegant volutes and gilded in the oven using the technique of gold-mercury amalgam. Very beautiful thick gilding that has withstood wear and tear well over the centuries. Chinese work from the qianlong period towards the end of the 18th century.This type of scientific instruments ordered by the qianlong emperor, were manufactured in the workshops of the imperial palace, inside the forbidden city.There are in the collections of the palace 2 identical instruments, but smaller, worn, incomplete, and of less good quality. The one presented here is in perfect condition and has part of its original box. Length 16,5cm.

The vase is in yellow bronze. It appears to have been taken down with a hammer because it has thin walls, however it may have been cast. It is a very simple design object but of excellent quality, the proportions are perfect, the finishes are very careful. Artisans capable of producing a bronze of this fine quality would have been entirely capable of producing such a fine casting. This elegant simplicity makes us think of this very old vase, probably dating from the 17th century, or before, a magnificent old patina confirms this dating. The wide opening makes us think that it may be an incense burner. Height: 135x135mm.

Shell mounted on a silver base. Chinese work made for export? From memory I seem to recall that a pair of identical cups were presented at the V&A in the 90s. The shell is held by silver nuts in the shape of a butterfly, it rests on a grove of 3 silver bamboos. The whole rests on a finely worked wooden base. The other nuts are in the shape of clover. The whole is finely worked and chiselled. Beautiful finish. Extremely rare object. Very certainly end of the 18th century. Good condition, 1 of the 6 bamboo branches is missing as can be seen on the pictures. The bamboo branches are removable. Height about 22cm. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Pewter and bronze tea box imitating a drum. Decor incised with a chisel representing peony flowers on the sides, a symbol of longevity. Two handle in lion head.Bronze nails are arranged all around imitating a drum.The excellent quality of the workmanship, unusual for pewter, as well as the style suggests that this is an object dating from the very beginning of the Qing period. Good condition, no restoration or welding. One bronze nail is missing. No shock. Normal wear and tear for a centuries-old object, but the decor remains clean and precise. Inside we can see a mark of 4 Chinese characters. Very rare object. Height about 18cm.

Cast bronze incense burner. Rectangular shape, 4 feet, decoration of sacred pearls framed by stylized dragons, Greek friezes. Each of the feet comes out of the mouth of a Buddhist lion. The walls are very thick, the object is heavy. Lost wax casting has defects. The carving is not of high quality. No mark. However, this incense burner is powerful and has a very beautiful old patina, which makes it a venerable object with a strong presence. Probably Chinese work. Period 18th century or earlier. Height: 29cm. No restaure.

Buddha in bronze cast with lost wax and gilded with mercury. The walls are very thick, the statuette is heavy. The gilding is original, certainly baked several times to obtain a nice thickness. The reverse of the dress is chiseled with stylized flowers. The base is closed by an incised copper plate of Vajra. The base does not appear to have been opened. The two arm bracelets were originally to have stone beads, today replaced by a colored coating. In the palm of the hand, we can see a hole left by the loss of the vase. Gilding slightly worn in rare places visible in photos. Otherwise good condition. No welding or restoration. The bronze has not been cleaned. Height 187mm.

Exceptionally rare cast iron bathtub. China 18° or before. The body is supported by four feet representing Buddhist lion heads. 4 large mobile rings fixed laterally allowed to move the object. The sides are decorated with large flowering plants in 3 cartouches, in the 4th there is nothing. I think there must have been a lacquer pattern in high relief, which has ,today,disappeared. In the past I have seen a cast iron stove with identical feet that had large lacquer "Bonji"characters, I attach a photo. There are modern fakes of identical shape and size, one of them has exactly the same decoration, which makes me think that there must be in China, somewhere, an identical model that served as an example,I attach the photo of the 2. These fakes are sold as being large temple censers? But the mine present has an evacuation at the bottom on the side that would logically be an outlet. A part of this outlet is broken, perhaps it was the head of an animal, Lion or dragon? The hypothesis that it is a child's bathtub is reinforced by the fact that bathtubs of these dimensions were used in China. I enclose a picture from the movie "The Last Emperor" where we can see the eunuchs giving the bath to the young emperor Pu-Yi (Xuan Tong) in a bathtub of identical shape and size.Look photo. State of conservation: The lacquer decoration of a cartouche missing. One ring replaced. The drain tap broken. Length 90cm. Weight about 60 to 80 kg to be checked.