A SILVERED BRONZE 'LION AND GRAPEVINES' MIRROR, TANG DYNASTY Published: Treasures of Chinese Art, Chinese Art in Czech private collections, Galerie Arcimboldo, Prague, 2016, pp. 40-41.

China, 618-906. Of circular form, the back cast in high relief in the center with a crouching lion knob encircled by four lions and scrolling grapevines, and in the outer field with twelve birds amid similar vines and grape bunches, below a band of scrolling leaves.

Inscriptions: The box inscribed 'Tang dynasty, sea beast and grape mirror, 11.9 cm, 1.3 cm'.

Provenance: From a noted Czech private collection. A Japanese collector's box with an old paper label, inscribed by a previous owner, accompanies this lot. (2)
Condition: Good condition with some wear, small nicks, a single fissure with associated minuscule losses, the rim with a smoothened chip. Overall with fine malachite and cuprite encrustations. The design still crisp and the silvering well preserved.

Weight: 554.3 g
Dimensions: Diameter 12 cm

Literature comparison:
A similar mirror, dated to the Tang dynasty, of slightly larger size (14.5 cm), is illustrated by S. Cahill in The Lloyd Cotsen Study Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, vol. I: Los Angeles, 2012, pp. 94-95.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 19 September 2014, lot 1014
Price: USD 15,000 or approx. EUR 19,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silvery bronze 'lion and grapevine' mirror, Tang dynasty (ad 607-907)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related motif, malachite patina, and size (13.2 cm)



唐代海獸葡萄鎏銀銅鏡
中國，618-906年。圓形，背面中央高浮雕，臥獅鈕，四周環繞著四隻海獸和葡萄藤，外場有十二隻神鳥與葡萄藤和葡萄串，卷葉紋。

出版：《Treasures of Chinese Art，Chinese Art in Czech private collections》，Galerie Arcimboldo，2016年，布拉格，第40-41頁。
款識：唐時代海獸葡萄銅鏡 11.9 （厘米），1.3 （厘米）

來源：捷克私人收藏。日本收藏家的盒子和一個舊紙標簽，前任藏家Dr. Kokubo 書寫。
品相：狀況良好，有一些磨損、小刻痕、單個裂痕以及相應的微小缺損，邊緣有平滑的磕損。整體帶有細膩的紅綠銅鏽結殼。浮雕仍然清晰，鎏銀保存完好。

重量：554.3 克
尺寸：直徑12 厘米

文獻比較：
一件相似的唐代銅鏡，尺寸較大(14.5 厘米)，見S. Cahill，《The Lloyd Cotsen Study Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors》，〈卷一：洛杉磯〉，2012年，頁94-95。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2014年9月19日，lot 1014
價格：USD 15,000（相當於今日EUR 19,000）
描述：唐代銅狻猊葡萄紋鏡
專家評論：比較非常相近的形制、綠銅繡和尺寸(13.2 厘米)。