A SILVER REPOUSSE QUATREFOIL BOWL, MING DYNASTY China, 1368-1644, or possibly earlier. The flared body rising from an oval foot rim, the sides divided into four lobes by raised lines. Decorated to the center in repousse with a pair of mythical birds flying amidst scrolling vines, their long tail feathers trailing behind them. The details highlighted in fine incision work, all against a minute ring-punched ground and surrounded by a beaded band. Provenance: From a private collection in California, USA. Condition: Excellent condition with extensive wear, fine patina, some minor dents and minimal warping. Weight: 95 g Dimensions: Length 12.2 cm The foot with a circle of small overlapping petals, the slightly everted rim finely chased with a band of trefoil-shaped leaves. The base and outer walls with a design similar to the center and in equally fine and skillful execution. Bowls of this elegantly pronounced, lobed quatrefoil form shaped after Persian silver and gold drinking vessels, are scarce and only very few examples exist. They were produced from the Tang dynasty onwards. Literature comparison: Pairs of flying birds including parrots and phoenixes depicted in silver repousse adorned a number of pieces discovered in the Dingmaoqiao hoard at Dantu, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, for example, on the cover of a circular box, see Sekai bijutsu tai zenshu, Toyo hen, volume 4, Tokyo, 1997, plate 62. For further pieces compare Tangdai jinyin qi, Beijing, 1985, plates 213 and 215. Compare also a bowl included in the China Institute in America exhibition of 'Early Chinese Gold and Silver', China House Gallery, New York, 1971, catalog number 83, of five-lobed form with an everted rim and a flat bottom, decorated with a single peony spray in the interior and with the rim chased with a scroll motif on a ring-matted ground. Also compare with numbers 78 and 79 in the same publication. Finally compare the incised and punched decoration to the outer walls of the present vessel with an octagonal cup in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 1985.214.17. Auction result comparison: Compare with a related but smaller cup, undated, at Sotheby's London, in Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork, 14 May 2008, lot 53, sold for GBP 36,500. 明代四瓣捶揲銀碗 中國, 1368-1644年，或可能更早。橢圓形圈足外撇，外壁呈喇叭形，外壁成四瓣。紋飾成對，有一對神鳥飛舞在纏枝紋中，長尾隨其後。精細捶揲突出細節，邊緣串珠紋圍繞。 來源：美國加利福尼亞私人收藏 品相：狀況良好，廣泛的磨损，良好的銅綠，輕微的凹痕和小的翹曲。 重量：95克 尺寸：長12.2 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件相似尺寸較小的碗，年代不詳，售于倫敦蘇富比Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork拍場2008年5月14日，lot 53, 售價GBP 36,500.