A SILVER-INLAID BRONZE ‘PHOENIX’ BELT HOOK, ATTRIBUTED TO SHISOU, LATE MING DYNASTY China, 17^th century. Finely cast with a phoenix head terminal and inlaid in silver with ruyi, taotie, and other archaistic designs within shaped and dotted borders, the button to the underside with wire-inlaid scroll.

Provenance: From the private collection of a former French colonel based in China before World War II.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting flaws, minuscule nicks, small dents.

Weight: 63.0 g
Dimensions: Length 10.8 cm

Little is known about the historical figure Shisou. The earliest reference in the Zhongguo meishujia renming cidian ('Dictionary of Chinese Artists') comes from the Luochuang xiaodu and is presumably from the same source as published in Zhongguo yishujia zhenglue ('Brief Introduction of Chinese Artists’). Shisou is listed there only as a late Ming dynasty monk without any further biographical information. A number of vessels and sculptures from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century bear his name, sometimes in combination with a hall name, Jinyu tang (‘Hall of Prosperity’). Although the present piece is unsigned, the high quality of the casting and fine silver inlays make an attribution to Shisou or a related workshop seem reasonable.

石叟風格明末銅錯銀鳳凰紋帶鈎
中國，十七世紀。鳳頭帶鈎，錯銀如意、饕餮等仿古紋飾，鈕扣下方有嵌線捲軸。扣鈕上錯銀卷紋。

來源：二戰前駐華法國前上校的私人收藏。
品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損和鑄造瑕疵，微小的刻痕和小凹痕。

重量：63.0 克
尺寸：長10.8 厘米