A SILVERED BRONZE ‘MYTHICAL BEASTS’ MIRROR, TANG DYNASTY China, 618-907. Of circular form, cast with four leonine beasts racing around the central pierced knop, encircled by a raised border surrounded by a recessed outer band with alternating birds and floral sprays below a band of spaced floral scrolls to the stepped rim.

Provenance: From an English private collection.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear and casting irregularities, signs of weathering and erosion, few small nicks and light scratches. Fine, naturally grown patina with areas of malachite and azurite encrustation, particularly to the front of the mirror.

Weight: 643.2 g
Dimensions: Diameter 12.3 cm

Literature comparison: Compare a related bronze mirror, also dated to the Tang dynasty and illustrated by Ju-hsi Chou, Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000, p. 62, no. 50.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related bronze mirror with similar creatures at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections on 18 March 2009, lot 238, sold for USD 13,750 (part lot, together with another bronze mirror).

唐代鎏銀瑞獸銅鏡
中國，618-907年。鏡呈圓形，半球鈕，上飾斜立二重齒紋圈，分為內外二區。內區飾四瑞獸為主題，圍繞著中央鏡鈕。外區飾花草鳥紋。

來源：英國私人收藏。
品相：狀況極好，與年齡相稱。 磨損和鑄件瑕疵，風化和侵蝕的跡象，輕微小刻痕和劃痕。包漿自然細膩，在鏡子前面帶有藍綠色鏽斑。

重量：643.2 克
尺寸：直徑12.3 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的瑞獸銅鏡，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections 2009年3月18日 lot 238, 售價USD 13,750 (其中一件，與另一件銅鏡)。