Lot Essay
Compare two Western Zhou bronze linchpins with similar tiger masks illustrated by O. Karlbeck, “Notes on Some Chinese Wheel Axle-Caps”, BMFEA 39, Stockholm, 1967, pl. 2, no. A 5 and pl. 16 C. See, also, the bronze axle cap and linchpin with similar tiger mask, dating to the Middle Western Zhou dynasty, circa 9th century BC, included in the exhibitions, The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Singapore, 2000, no. 32, and Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, no.32, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2002-6, and later sold at Christie’s New York, The Sze Yuan Tang Archaic Bronzes, 16 September 2010, lot 841.