Song or Ming dynasty 19.2cm high, 29.5cm high (with stand) 注脚 Provenance: Aaron Gallery Ancient Art Ltd., London Norman Taylor Collection, prior to 22 June 1999 Spink, London, 22 June 1999 元/明 銅西王母頭像 來源： 倫敦 Aaron Gallery Ancient Art Ltd. Norman Taylor 先生，至1999年6月22日 倫敦 Spink, 1999年6月22日 Xiwangmu, also referred to as the Queen Mother of the West, is one of the most important deities of the Daoist pantheon. She was often depicted wearing a headdress decorated with phoenix, a mythical bird which, according to the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' (Shanhai jing 《山海經》), compiled during the Han dynasty, inhabited the Immortal lands of the deity, along with other fantastic creatures such as the three-footed crow, the nine-tailed fox, the dancing frog and the moon-hare who pounded magical elixirs in a mortar. The facial features and headdress decorating the present lot are comparable with those depicted on two bronze figures of Xiwangmu, Ming dynasty, which were sold at Sotheby's London, 16 May 2007, lot 38.