A YONGLE CHISELED IRON AND WOOD 'DRAGON' SADDLE Tibetan-Chinese, 1402-1424. The hardwood lacquered red on the underside and tied together with string and strips of leather, the pommel and cantle plates made in openwork of chiseled iron gilt and damascened with silver, the pommel with dragons amid clouds and the cantle with a floral design, all against a pierced scrolled ground. Provenance: Gabriella Tallon, Studio Arga, Venice. Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above in 2010 (invoice not available). Dr. de Jong is a Dutch art historian and has been privately collecting Chinese art over decades. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts spanning from the Middle Ages to the modern era. In 2013, he published an extensive study of Chinese riding gear in "Dragon & Horse, Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond". Between 1976 and 2009 he worked for numerous museums across the Netherlands and was the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch. Published: Dr. Koos de Jong, Dragon & Horse. Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond, Amsterdam - Hong Kong 2013, ill. 5.01, p. 57. Condition: Good condition. The wood with age cracks and some small chips as well as a fine dark patina. The metal with small dents, dings, and minor losses, some fittings with signs of corrosion. The saddle cover made of red textile with yellow silk trimming is a later addition, probably from the Qing dynasty, with few minor tears and little creasing. Weight: 6.0 kg Dimensions: Length 54 cm This saddle represents a particular form found in Tibet, one that is Chinese or strongly influenced by Chinese types. It belongs to a small group of closely related saddles that may stem from a single workshop or reflect a specific type developed in one region. Notable features are the lively dragons, chiseled free from the scrollwork ground, and the unusual decorative technique involving silver damascening of the entire surfaces of the saddle plates, with select design elements highlighted by mercury gilding over the silver. The Sino-Tibetan style of the saddle and high-quality craftsmanship indicate it was gifted by the Yongle Emperor to a high Tibetan lama. Literature comparison: The technique used to decorate the pommel and cantle plates on this saddle are similar to a saddle in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, dated to the 17th or 18th century, accession number 1997.214.1. Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related saddle sold by Sotheby's New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art on 19 March 2014, lot 81, for USD $106,250, and with a tixi-lacquered saddle from the Yuan dynasty sold by Christie's Hong Kong in Important Chinese Lacquer from the Lee Family Collection, Part III on 28 November 2012, lot 2086, for HKD $3,020,000. 永樂鐵鏨金鏤空龍紋馬鞍 漢藏，1402-1424。馬鞍木胎用皮革线和帶子綁在一起，用鏨鐵鎏金鏤空制成鞍座和鞍板錯銀，可見龍紋祥雲紋以及花卉紋。 來源：威尼斯Gabriella Tallon的Studio Arga藝廊。Drs. Koos de Jong收藏，2010年購於上述藝廊（發票已遺失）。Drs. de Jong是一位荷蘭藝術史學家， 幾十年來他一直私人收藏中國藝術品。他撰寫了數百篇文章和幾本書，內容涉及從中世紀到現代的荷蘭美術和裝飾藝術。 2013年，他在《Dragon & Horse：Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》中發表了有關中國騎馬裝備的詳盡研究。1976年至2009年間，他曾在荷蘭的許多博物館工作，並曾擔任登博世歐洲陶瓷工作中心的主任。 出版：Dr. Koos de Jong著書《Dragon & Horse. Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》, 阿姆斯特丹 - 香港，2013年，圖5.01，頁57。 品相：良好品相，木料處有年代裂縫和一些小碎屑以及細膩的深色包漿。鉄具有小凹痕和少量損失，有些配件帶有腐蝕跡象。紅色紡織品，帶有黃色絲綢飾邊的馬鞍蓋是後來添加的，可能來自清朝，幾乎沒有水漬，也沒有皺痕。 重量：6.0 公斤 尺寸：長54 厘米 文獻比較: 相似技術和紋飾的馬鞍可見Metropolitan Museum of Art，時間爲十七或十八世紀，編號 1997.214.1. 拍賣結果比較：相似馬鞍2014年3月19日于紐約蘇富比《印度、喜馬拉雅與東南亞工藝品》拍號81，成交價USD $106,250以及一件元代剔犀馬鞍2012年11月28日于香港佳士得《千文萬華－李氏家族重要漆器珍藏 (III)》拍號2086，成交價HKD $3,020,000