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A very rare and important Chinese silver repousse pillow, Liao…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
16-Jun-2014
Lot No.
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Description:
A very rare and important Chinese silver repousse pillow, Liao Dynasty, 907-1125, probably from a royal tomb, finely decorated in the centre with a pair of phoenix and a flaming pearl of wisdom, the everted rim with eight floral sprays within beaded borders, supported on a high sloping foot decorated with four large flower sprays, 7.5 x 34.5 x 25 cm, *for a very similar Liao pillow in gold, see Gisele Croes 'Treasures of Ancient China', 18/3/2002., *also, Xiaoneng Yang, 'Unearthing Liao Elite Art and Culture: An Empire in Northern China, from the 10th to the 12th century' see Orientations, October 2004, pp66-74; which refers to a royal joint-burial of the Princess of Chen and her husband Qiao Shaoju. 'The princess, a niece of the Liao emperor Shengzong, died in 1018...The princess and her husband (their heads resting on silver pillows), were wearing gilt-silver crowns, gold masks, silver-mesh clothes...', Figure 8 shows their bodies at rest inside the tomb, the heads lying on the silver pillows
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Antiquities: Asian