A rare pair of silver taotie-mask handles


Warring States PeriodThe masks finely cast as taotie with curved leaf-shaped ears, finely striated hair markings and brows, the almond-shaped bulging eyes flanking the loops forming the snout, the reverse with a rectangular tab for attachment. Each 7.8cm (2 7/8in) wide. (2).
|The Property of a Gentleman 士紳藏品戰國 銀獸面鋪首一對Provenance: Sotheby's London, 10 December 1991, lot 28Stephen K.C.Lo P.C. Lu Works of Art Ltd., Hong Kong, 11 April 1992Jean-Yves Ollivier Collection來源：1991年12月10日於倫敦蘇富比拍賣，拍品28號香港古董商魯氏有限公司，1992年4月11日歐宗易先生珍藏A related pair of silver taotie mask handles and a further gilt-bronze one are illustrated in Mancheng hanmu fajue baogao, Beijing, 1980, pls.2 and 15.Compare with a related pair of gilt-bronze taotie mask ring-handles, Eastern Zhou dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams London, 9 November 2017, lot 5.銀質，形作饕餮，曲角，卷耳，鼓目，鼻作彎鉤以銜環，環佚，各部位以卷尾凸線勾勒，且以幾何紋為地，後鑄扁平插件作固定之用。相關他例可參考滿城漢墓出土之一對銀質鋪首和銅鎏金鋪首，著錄於《滿城漢墓發掘報告》，北京，1980年圖版2及15。另可參考一對東周銅鎏金饕餮鋪首，2017年11月9日售於倫敦邦瀚斯，拍品5號。