China, 202 BC to 220 AD. The articulated silkworm, consisting of eight segments in total, lifting its head and showing a smile.Provenance: Solaimani Gallery, Fine Islamic & Oriental Art, Grays Antique Center, London. Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above in 2002 (invoice not available). Dr. de Jong is a Dutch art historian and has been privately collecting Chinese art over decades. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts spanning from the Middle Ages to the modern era. In 2013, he published an extensive study of Chinese riding gear in “Dragon & Horse, Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond”. Between 1976 and 2009 he worked for numerous museums across the Netherlands and was the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch.Condition: Good, original condition, with extensive wear, losses, nicks, and scratches. Fine natural malachite green and copper red encrustations.Weight: 13.4 gDimensions: Length 5 cmThe worship of the silkworm can be traced to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1027 BC), when it was common to make human sacrifices during the silkworm ceremony. Representations of the silkworm are associated with the domestication, rearing of the silkworm, and the all-important silk weaving industry which was part of the essential economy of China. From the 3rd century AD, the spirit of the silkworm was personified by the Empress Xiling and worshiped in a special ceremony officiated by the Empress herself every year during the second half of the lunar month, with offerings of mulberry leaves and woven silk at a special altar set up in the silkworm temple or palace.Literature comparison: See examples in the Minneapolis Museum of Art; Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton 96.55.1; J.J. Lally & Co., Chinese Works of Art May 27-June 18, 1998, no. 21.Auction result comparison: Compare with a related model of a silkworm (7.4 cm long) at Bonhams New York in Elegant Embellishments on 21 September 2020, lot 301, sold for USD 12,575.漢代銅鎏金蠶 中國,公元前202至公元后220年。鉸接的蠶總共由八個部分組成,抬起頭似乎露出微笑。 來源:倫敦Solaimani Gallery, Fine Islamic & Oriental Art, Grays Antique Center藝廊。Dr. Koos de Jong收藏,2002年購於上述收藏(發票丟失)。Dr. de Jong是一位荷蘭藝術史學家, 幾十年來他一直私人收藏中國藝術品。他撰寫了數百篇文章和幾本書,內容涉及從中世紀到現代的荷蘭美術和裝飾藝術。 2013年,他在《Dragon & Horse:Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》中發表了有關中國騎馬裝備的詳盡研究。1976年至2009年間,他曾在荷蘭的許多博物館工作,並曾擔任登博世歐洲陶瓷工作中心的主任。圖片: Dr. Koos de Jong 與Ingeborg de Roode (照片來自於Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam) 品相:良好的原始狀態,大面積磨損,划痕和刻痕。 天然孔雀石綠和銅紅包漿。 重量:13.4 克 尺寸:長5 厘米 拍賣結果比較:一隻相近蠶 (長7.4 厘米) 見紐約邦翰斯Elegant Embellishments 拍場,2020年9月21日,lot 301, 售價USD 12,575.