A RARE BRONZE FISH AND MYTHICAL BEAST, DONG SON CULTURE Vietnam, 500 BC - 300 AD. The fish with mouth agape and large bulging eyes, the tail fin with characteristic spiral decoration, a small lizard-like beast clambering on its back with similar decoration, five bells hanging from the fish’s belly.

Provenance: An important Italian private collection.
Condition: Some repair and touchups as generally expected from ancient Dong Son excavations. Losses, fissures, erosion, and corrosion. Minor casting flaws. Overall, still good condition, especially for such a rare piece. Fine malachite-green patina with brown encrustations overall.

Weight: 481.5 g
Dimensions: Length 17 cm

Dong Son (named for Dong Son, a village in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam) was a Bronze Age culture in ancient Vietnam centered at the Red River Valley of northern Vietnam from 1000 BC until the first century AD. Vietnamese historians attribute it to the states of Văn Lang and Âu Lạc. Its influence spread to other parts of Southeast Asia, including Maritime Southeast Asia, throughout the first millennium BC. The culture long remained a mystery to western archaeologists, and it was known only through its bronze objects, many of which were taken from burial sites. Dong Son bronze objects were exhibited in Europe for a century before their original location was even determined, and several theories and speculations over the dating methodologies of the culture continue to this day.

Auction result comparison: Compare a group of four related Dong Son buffalo bells at Christie’s London in Peter Petrou: Tales of the Unexpected on 30 January 2019, lot 149, sold for GBP 5,250, and a group of six Dong Son bell necklaces in the same auction, lot 150, sold for GBP 5,625. Compare another figural bronze from the Dong Son culture, sold in these rooms in Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism & Hinduism on 16 October 2021, lot 579, sold for EUR 15,168.