A SILVERY BRONZE EIGHT-LOBED ‘PHOENIX AND BIRDS’ MIRRORChina, Tang Dynasty (618-906). Of lobed form, cast at the center with a domed knob encircled by two phoenixes and two birds, the raised rim with butterflies and floral sprays.Condition: Fine condition, commensurate with age, extensive wear, weathering, corrosion, nicks, losses. Superb, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite encrustation. Provenance: Collection of Dr. Walter Rieder (1890-1986), thence by descent. Old inventory labels ‘RIE.1976.311’ and ‘9’ to the mirror. A copy of an old handwritten note by Dr. Rieder, describing the piece as ‘2 Birds, 2 Kilin [sic!] (?) & ornamental pattern’. The padded box inscribed, noting that the piece was a goodbye present from 1938 from the trade commissioner Yamamoto. Dr. Walter Rieder served in the Swiss East Asia Mission (SOAM) in Qingdao, Shandong Province, between October 1930 and December 1951. The mission specialized in educational, literary, and philanthropic work and Dr. Rieder was in fact, not a theologian or missionary, but a teacher of mathematics, physics, and science to high school students attached to the SOAM. His guiding principles were 'Creating understanding between different cultures' and 'Building bridges between East and West'. While in Qingdao, Dr. Rieder collected a wide variety of Chinese art. The objects in the collection thus offer a unique window into the type of antiques that were on the market in Qingdao in the second quarter of the 20th century. As well as demonstrating his passion for Chinese art, his collection also reveals the personal friendships Dr. Rieder forged with local artists, some of whom he knew from his teaching activities. Dr. Rieder had a scholarly approach to studying his collection. Alongside many of his objects, meticulous notes can sometimes be found detailing his art historical commentaries. The collection was hence Dr. Rieder's gateway to the history and culture of China. Objects from the collection were exhibited at the Kunsthaus in Interlaken, Switzerland in 2006 and 2018.Weight: 195 gDimensions: Diameter 9.7 cmWith a padded box bearing a dedication mark of being a present in 1938. (2)Auction result comparison:Compare a related silvery grey bronze eight-lobed mirror, Tang dynasty (618-907), sold at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections on 24 March 2011, lot 1268, for USD 8,125.