EASTERN HAN DYNASTY (25-220 AD)

This ferocious figure is similar to a gilt-bronze figure of a winged chimera in the Frederick M. Mayer Collection, sold in our London rooms, 24-25 June 1974, lot 146. The combative stance, raised head and mouth open in a roar can also be seen in two gilt-bronze figures of winged chimeras in the Schoenlicht and Stoclet Collections, illustrated by H.F.E. Visser, Asiatic Art, New York/Amsterdam, 1948, pl. 68, nos. 141 and 142, respectively. See, also, the very similar bronze weight, but shown on a circular base cast with rocky outcrops, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 28 - Bronze Articles for Daily Use, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 163, no. 141.