China, Yuan/ming Dynasty, Bronze Sculpture Of A XIniu

Visible in Paris. Free local pickup in the capital and its suburbs. Shipping within France: €30, contact me for shipping to Europe and the rest of the world.

Bronze statue representing a Xiniu (a type of mythological Chinese rhinoceros).
Bronze with a brown patina.
Yuan to Ming Dynasty (13th-17th centuries).

Dimensions: (H.) 13 x (W.) 23 cm.

Condition report: Scratches, old repairs (?), good used condition.

Our sculpture represents a Xiniu, a fantastic animal from Chinese folklore recognizable by its single horn. According to Rose Kerr's book, *Later Chinese Bronzes*, this form, very popular for making mirror stands during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, was supplanted by that of the Qilin (another mythological Chinese creature), allowing us to date our model. The patina is rich with the object's history and entirely consistent with the dating. The marks on the back of the statue could be the result of the earlier removal of the hypothetical mirror-bearing section, old repairs, or simply casting flaws corrected during the design phase. The head appears to be weighted with its original lead.