Chinese Wei Terracotta Buddha Brick

A pair of matched gilt bronze plates, rectangular with low-relief bull, the head facing forward and forelegs bent under the body, with scrolled linear motif to the border, attachment loops to reverse; mounted on a custom-made stand. 379 grams total, plates: 72 mm long each



Ex Shinya Tagava, Honcho, Tokyo, Japan, before 1986. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The nomadic style was expressed in the openwork and embossed bronze plates that served as belt buckles and plaques. The 'Ordos bronzes' furthermore consisted mostly of decorative plaques which were sewn onto garments and horses' bridles, a frequent motif being animal combat.

A glazed powder box with a zig zag band to the lid and foot, central lid motif a spray of flowers on a small mound. 74 grams, 63 mm



Ex Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 29-31 January 2007. Accompanied by an illustrated information sheet about the Ca Mau shipwreck. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The Ca Mau shipwreck refers to a cargo of Chinese porcelain sunk between 1723 and 1735 off the coast of Vietnam. The wreck was discovered by Vietnamese fishermen in 1998. It is believed the wreck was a merchant’s junk on its way from Canton (Guangzhou) to Batavia when it caught fire and sank. The ship was carrying goods destined for Dutch traders who had limited access to China and its ports.

Each a deep bowl with tendrils and flowers to the outer faces, the inner faces with a large central flower motif with surrounding tendrils. 1.58 kg total, 16.3 cm each



Ex Nagel Auction, with official Tek Sing Treasure labels to verso. Accompanied by an illustrated information sheet about the Tek Sing shipwreck. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The Tek Sing (True Star) wreck is one of the famous recovery stories of the 20th century. Sailing from the port of Xiamen (then known as Amoy) in February 1822 the vessel Tek Sing was bound for Jakarta, Indonesia laden with porcelain goods and 1600 Chinese emigrants. The captain decided to pass through the Gaspar Strait, between the Bangka-Belitung Islands, and ran aground on a reef. The vessel sank in about 100 feet of water. The next morning, February 7, an English East Indiaman captained by James Pearl, passing through the same waters, encountered debris and some survivors and managed to rescue about 190 of the latter.