SONG DYNASTY (AD 960-1279)

Details

A SILVER ‘LOTUS’ CUP
SONG DYNASTY (AD 960-1279)
The cup has rounded sides chased with overlapping petals with stamens rising over the top row just below the mouth rim. The center of the interior is chased with a ring of stamens encircling a seed pod. The stem foot is incised with a narrow band of undulating waves below a four-character inscription on one side reading Wang Shi lian ju (Wang Shi’s precious dressing case).
3 3⁄4 in. (9.3 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box

Special notice

Please note that this lot is subject to an import tariff. The amount of the import tariff due is a percentage of the final hammer price plus buyer's premium. The buyer should contact Post Sale Services prior to the sale to determine the estimated amount of the import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie's to arrange shipping of the lot to a foreign address the buyer will not be required to pay the import tariff, but the shipment may be delayed while awaiting approval to export from the local government. If the buyer instructs Christie's to arrange shipping of the lot to a domestic address, if the buyer collects the property in person, or if the buyer arranges their own shipping (whether domestically or internationally), the buyer will be required to pay the import tariff. For the purpose of calculating sales tax, if applicable, the import tariff will be added to the final hammer price plus buyer's premium and sales tax will be collected as per The Buyer's Premium and Taxes section of the Conditions of Sale.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Rufus Chen (陳嘉安) Head of Sale, AVP, Specialist

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

A very similar gilt-silver cup, described as a wine cup and dated to the Southern Song dynasty, excavated in 1981 in Jiangsu province, Liyang area, and now in the Zhenjiang City Museum, is illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan, qingtong juan (The Compendium of Chinese Art, Gold, Silver, Jade and Stone), Hong Kong, 1994, p. 140, no. 149. Unlike the present cup, the splayed foot of the Zhenjiang cup is decorated with pendent overlapping petals and lacks an inscription.

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