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Lot 118
A SET OF TEN GILT-IRON FITTINGS OF A SADDLE
Estimated Value:
900 € - 1.500 €
Result:
15.540 € incl. Premium and VAT
Description:
Eastern Tibet, ca.18th c.B. 9 - 37,5 cm
Iron, gold. These extraordinarily elaborate metal plates, the front and back of a horse saddle, are made of thin forged iron. The finely designed leaf ornaments, pierced and chiselled with high craftsmanship, show dragons and phoenix birds appearing vividly amidst their tendril work. The complementary fittings also feature artistically crafted decoration. The entire figural depictions and ornaments are superficially incised with burins and gilded with damascene. This is a fine piece of the kind typically found in Derge, Kham province, and could only have been commissioned and used as a riding utensil by highly placed personalities.
Important southern German private collection, acquired from Schoettle Ostasiatica before 2000
Literature: Donald J. La Rocca, Warriors of the Himalayas, Rediscovering the arms and armor of Tibet; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2006: 214ff - TRaces of age, wear
