Eastern Han Dynasty Crisply cast as a hollow, ferocious dragon-head with an opened jaw revealing large fangs, flared circular nostrils, and a ribbed nose set between forward-looking triangular eyes, adorned with long slender horns and a finely detailed mane with delicate hair markings, the neck covered in meticulously incised scales, stand. 14.5cm (5 1/2in) long. (2).
東漢 銅鎏金龍首飾件
Provenance: H.K.Burnet, Bradford, England Sotheby's London, 4 April 1941, lot 382 Mark Dineley (1901-1975) Peter Dineley (1938-2018), Shaftesbury, England
來源： H.K.Burnet，佈拉德福德，英格蘭 倫敦蘇富比，1941年4月4日，拍品編號382 Mark Dineley (1901-1975) Peter Dineley (1938-2018)， 沙夫茨伯里，英格蘭
H.K.Burnet was a prominent collector of Chinese ceramics, bronzes, archaic jades, and works of art. A client of both Bluett & Sons and Sparks during the mid-1920s and mid-1930s, his extensive collection, spanning from the Han to the Qing dynasties, was sold by Sotheby's over three days in April 1941 following his death. The catalogue noted provenances including Eumorfopoulos, J.R. Preece, Temple Newsam, Crofts, and Hetherington. Burnet's collection was featured in several exhibitions, including Bradford College in 1932, the Manchester City Art Gallery in April 1936, and he lent four pieces to the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1935–1936. See R.Davids and D.Jellinek, Provenance, Oxford, 2011, p.100.
Mark Dineley and his son Peter Cleverly Dineley collected antique arms and armour, Chinese, Tibetan and Nepalese art amongst other interests. The collections were displayed in the former family home, Aubrey House, located in Holland Park, London - a stately 18th century house. The house came into the Dineley family when it was acquired in 1873 by William Cleverly Alexander (1840-1916) from whom Mark and Peter were descended. Alexander was a banker and a great connoisseur and patron of the artist James McNeill Whistler, as well as a renowned collector of Chinese ceramics, jades and Japanese art, much of which is now in the British Museum, London, including the celebrated Northern Song Alexander bowl. He was amongst the lenders to exhibitions held at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1895, 1896 and 1910 and to the City of Manchester Art Gallery's Exhibition of Chinese Applied Art in 1913, and to exhibitions held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. In May 1931 his collection of Chinese ceramics, including 355 lots, was sold over two days and Sir Percival David acquired a significant part, now in the British Museum.
Compare with a very similar gilt-bronze dragon head, Western Han dynasty, illustrated by J.Rawson and E.Bunker, Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1990, p.202, pl.117, where the authors note that 'a number of similar dragon shaped handles have been excavated. They were used as handles for lacquer vessels'. For other examples see also Wenwu 1981.11, pp.1-11, pl.2:5, fig.15; Kaogu xuebao 1982.3, pp.351-366, pl.19:2; and also Wenwu ziliao congkan, 1981, pp.104-111, fig.18. Another related gilt-bronze chariot fitting in the form of a dragon-head, Eastern Han dynasty, is illustrated in Dialogue with the Ancients: 100 Bronzes of the Shang, Zhou, and Han Dynasties, The Shen Zhai Collection, Singapore, 2018, p.372, no.89B.
See a very similar gilt-bronze dragon-head fitting, Eastern Han dynasty, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 19 March 2025, lot 145. Another similar gilt-bronze dragon-head fitting, Eastern Han dynasty/Six Dynasties period, was sold at Christie's New York, 16 September 2010, lot 917.
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