China - Ming Dynasty Bronze / copper alloy Bronze Scholar's Weight - Taoist Immortal and the Supernatural Tortoise - 4.2 cm
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Selected by Sarah Le Helley
Studied Asian art and art market management; researched art in Taipei; worked in auctions.
Estimate € 1,800 - € 2,000
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This Chinese Ming-dynasty bronze scholar’s weight depicts a Taoist immortal holding a scroll beside a supernatural tortoise on an elongated rocky base and measures 15 × 5 × 4.2 cm.
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Description from the seller
Rare and expressive Chinese bronze scholar's weight, attributed to the Ming dynasty, probably 16th-17th century.
This remarkable small desk sculpture develops a particularly lively composition: a Taoist immortal in a long robe, holding a scroll, is paired with a formidable supernatural long-tailed turtle, the whole set resting on an elongated, partially pierced rock base.
In Chinese culture, the turtle is traditionally associated with longevity, endurance and immortality. The object thus belongs to the rich repertoire of symbolic pieces meant for the scholar's table. Its low, stable form and substantial weight identify it as a desk weight or scholar's weight (zhen), potentially usable as a brush rest.
The casting has a lot of character: free, nervous modeling, irregular reliefs, openwork passages and a beautiful brown-black patina, lighter on the projecting parts naturally handled. The reverse also preserves the characteristic irregularities of the casting.
The attribution to the Ming period is furthermore supported by an old, documented British provenance, the object having belonged to a private collection in the United Kingdom before its current acquisition.
A petite but strongly presence-packed scholar's bronze, combining function, Taoist iconography and patina quality.
Dimensions: 15 × 5 × 4.2 cm
Weight: 267 g
Very good overall condition considering its age, with wear and small irregularities compatible with its antiquity. Mimosa study certificate provided with the object.
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateRare and expressive Chinese bronze scholar's weight, attributed to the Ming dynasty, probably 16th-17th century.
This remarkable small desk sculpture develops a particularly lively composition: a Taoist immortal in a long robe, holding a scroll, is paired with a formidable supernatural long-tailed turtle, the whole set resting on an elongated, partially pierced rock base.
In Chinese culture, the turtle is traditionally associated with longevity, endurance and immortality. The object thus belongs to the rich repertoire of symbolic pieces meant for the scholar's table. Its low, stable form and substantial weight identify it as a desk weight or scholar's weight (zhen), potentially usable as a brush rest.
The casting has a lot of character: free, nervous modeling, irregular reliefs, openwork passages and a beautiful brown-black patina, lighter on the projecting parts naturally handled. The reverse also preserves the characteristic irregularities of the casting.
The attribution to the Ming period is furthermore supported by an old, documented British provenance, the object having belonged to a private collection in the United Kingdom before its current acquisition.
A petite but strongly presence-packed scholar's bronze, combining function, Taoist iconography and patina quality.
Dimensions: 15 × 5 × 4.2 cm
Weight: 267 g
Very good overall condition considering its age, with wear and small irregularities compatible with its antiquity. Mimosa study certificate provided with the object.
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
China - Ming Dynasty
Century/timeframe
Probablement fin XVIe au début XVIIe siècle
Name of object
Bronze Scholar's Weight - Taoist Immortal and the Supernatural Tortoise
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
2005
Material
Bronze / copper alloy
Country acquired from
United Kingdom
Condition
Very good
Previous owner acquired from
Auction house
Height
4.2 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
2022
Width
15 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Europe
Depth
5 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
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