Beschreibung:

Lot details China, 206 BC to 220 AD. The circular mirror with a central domed knob raised on a quatrefoil platform. The sophisticated geometric design is intercepted by a four-character inscription, encircled by a scalloped band, all below a broad rim. The mirror with a superb patina with extensive malachite and azurite encrustations. Inscriptions: Encircling the central knob, ‘Changyi zisun’ (To benefit a long line of descendants). Provenance: Collection of Dr. Walter Rieder (1890-1986), thence by descent. Old inventory labels to the mirror and wood repository. A copy of an old handwritten note by Dr. Rieder, dating the piece to the Han dynasty and deciphering the Changyi zisun inscription on the mirror, accompanies this lot. Dr. Walter Rieder served in the Swiss East Asia Mission (SOAM) in Qingdao, Shandong Province, between October 1930 and December 1951. The mission specialized in educational, literary, and philanthropic work and Dr. Rieder was in fact, not a theologian or missionary, but a teacher of mathematics, physics, and science to high school students attached to the SOAM. His guiding principles were 'Creating understanding between different cultures' and 'Building bridges between East and West'. While in Qingdao, Dr. Rieder collected a wide variety of Chinese art. The objects in the collection thus offer a unique window into the type of antiques that were on the market in Qingdao in the second quarter of the 20th century. As well as demonstrating his passion for Chinese art, his collection also reveals the personal friendships Dr. Rieder forged with local artists, some of whom he knew from his teaching activities. Dr. Rieder had a scholarly approach to studying his collection. Alongside many of his objects, meticulous notes can sometimes be found detailing his art historical commentaries. The collection was hence Dr. Rieder's gateway to the history and culture of China. Objects from the collection were exhibited at the Kunsthaus in Interlaken, Switzerland in 2006 and 2018. Condition: Fine condition, commensurate with age, presenting remarkably well. Extensive wear, weathering, corrosion, nicks, losses. Superb, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite and azurite encrustations. Weight: 272.7 g Dimensions: Diameter 11.7 cm With a fitted wood repository. (2) Literature comparison: A number of mirrors of similar pattern are known. Two are in the Idemitsu Collection, illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, pls. 276 and 278. One is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Palace Museum's Collections of Bronze Mirrors, Beijing, 2008, pl. 18. Another two in the Donald H. Graham Jr. Collection are illustrated by Wong Yanchung, 'Bronze Mirror Art of the Han Dynasty', Chinese Bronzes - Selected articles from Orientations 1983-2000, Hong Kong, 2001, pp. 64-65, figs. 12-13. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 March 2008, lot 500 Price: USD 5,000 or approx. EUR 6,400 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A silvery bronze mirror, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220) Expert remark: Compare the closely related design. Note the size (20.6 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s London, 3 November 2021, lot 119 Price: GBP 3,780 or approx. EUR 4,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A brightly patinated bronze mirror, Han dynasty Expert remark: Compare the fine patina, also the combination of azurite and malachite. Note the size (17.8 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2012, lot 4144 Price: HKD 30,000 or approx. EUR 4,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A bronze 'geometric design' mirror, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220) Expert remark: Compare the closely related design. Note the size (16 cm). 漢代鎏銀《長宜子孫》銅鏡 中國，公元前206至公元220年。銅鏡背面四瓣如意紋，中間相間“