A LARGE CHINESE PARCEL-GILT SILVER 'MYTHICAL BEAST' CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER

Tang Dynasty

唐 銀局部鎏金鏨刻瑞獸紋大圓蓋盒

The circular box and cover with a slightly domed top and upright sides, decorated throughout with finely engraved and parcel-gilt motifs, the cover at the centre with a winged mythical beast, showing it's open mouth in a roar and a raised tail, with one front paw in the air visibly displaying the claws, surrounded by a border of stylised flowers, the upright side with floral scrolls and birds and the upright sides of the bottom sections with floral scrolls and other mythical beasts, the base with stylised flower foliate scrolls, all on a minutely ring-punched ground, the interior left plain.

15.2cm diameter

(2)

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PROVENANCE:

Property from a private collection in California;

Private Collection, Aichi, Japan;

UK Private Collection, London.

來源：

美國加州私人收藏；

日本愛知縣私人收藏;

英國倫敦私人收藏

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NOTES:

Other circular boxes of this shape, of variying sizes and decoration, both decorated and also undecorated, were popular during the Tang dynasty. The purposes of these boxes also varied and they were often used as containers for medicines but also gifts and tribute. A very similar example of this design can be found in the Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, illustrated in Selected Treasures from the Hejiacun Tang Hoard, Beijing, 2003. The box held in the collection of the Shaanxi history museum holds an inscription to the interior indicating that the purpose of that particular box was to hold granulated gold, most likely used for medicinal purposes and highly treasured. Please also refer to the box illustrated in C. Michaelson, Gilded Dragons: Buried Treasures from China's Golden Ages, British Museum, 1999, p. 121-22, no. 85.

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