A SILVERED BRONZE ‘DEITIES AND BEASTS’ MIRROR, HAN DYNASTYChina, 206 BC to 220 AD. Of circular form, the central knob is encircled by six seated deities flanked by mythical beasts, all cast in high relief within a band of semi-circles alternating with rectangles, each enclosing a stylized character, followed by a raised sawtooth band next to a band of stylized insects and scrolls. The knob and reverse lacquered black.Provenance: Collection of Dr. Walter Rieder (1890-1986), thence by descent. Old inventory labels to the mirror ‘’ and ‘82’. Dr. Walter Rieder served in the Swiss East Asia Mission (SOAM) in Qingdao, Shandong Province, between October 1930 and December 1951. The mission specialized in educational, literary, and philanthropic work and Dr. Rieder was in fact, not a theologian or missionary, but a teacher of mathematics, physics, and science to high school students attached to the SOAM. His guiding principles were 'Creating understanding between different cultures' and 'Building bridges between East and West'. While in Qingdao, Dr. Rieder collected a wide variety of Chinese art. The objects in the collection thus offer a unique window into the type of antiques that were on the market in Qingdao in the second quarter of the 20th century. As well as demonstrating his passion for Chinese art, his collection also reveals the personal friends Dr. Rieder forged with local artists, some of whom he knew from his teaching activities. Dr. Rieder had a scholarly approach to studying his collection. Alongside many of his objects, meticulous notes can sometimes be found detailing his art historicalmentaries. The collection was hence Dr. Rieder's gateway to the history and culture of China. Objects from the collection were exhibited at the Kunsthaus in Interlaken, Switzerland in 2006 and 2018.Condition: Good condition,mensurate with age and as expected for an authentic bronze with an age of ca. 2,000 years. Extensive weathering, cracks, few small nicks and light surface scratches, and minor encrustations. The silvering is remarkably well preserved overall, which makes this mirror quite rare.Weight: 252.8 gDimensions: Diameter 12.1 cmLiteratureparison:Compare a related silvered bronze mirror with deities, beasts, and characters, Han dynasty, in the collection of the British Museum, museum number 1947,0721.1. A closely related bronze mirror dated to the Eastern Han dynasty is illustrated by Jessica Rawson and Emma Bunker, Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1990, p.256, no.175.Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2015, lot 719Price: USD 37,500 or approx.EUR 45,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A bronze circular mirror with deities and animals, China, mid-late Eastern Han dynasty, late 2nd-3rd century ADExpert remark:pare the closely related motif. Note the differ