A SUPERB BRONZE FIGURE OF A DRAGON, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, CHINA, 770-256 BCPublished: Friedrich Georg Zeileis, Von Shang bis Qing - Dreieinhalb Jahrtausende Chinesischer Bronze (From Shang to Qing – Three and a Half Millenia of Chinese Bronze), 1999, page 318, no. 118.Finely cast as a dragon standing foursquare with the head turned back. The elegantly curved tail with a curled tip, the body with raised and finely incised S-scroll, clouds, and spiral designs. The bronze with a solid and naturally grown, rich patina with malachite and cuprite encrustation.Provenance: Sotheby’s London, 1995. Friedrich Georg Zeileis, acquired from the above, according to his publication, Von Shang bis Qing - Dreieinhalb Jahrtausende Chinesischer Bronze (From Shang to Qing – Three and a Half Millenia of Chinese Bronze), 1999, page 318, no. 118. Dr. Friedrich Georg Zeileis (b. 1939) is a retired physician who built an important collection of ancient Chinese jades and bronzes. He was also a pianist andposer, and published several books, as well as catalogs of his substantial art collections, including fine Chinese jades and bronzes.Condition: Remarkably well preserved,mensurate with age. Extensive wear, minor losses, some nicks, scratches, signs of weathering and erosion, soil encrustations. Fine naturally grown patina overall, with small areas of faint cuprite and various shades of malachite green.Weight: 288.2 gDimensions: Length 16 cmLiteratureparison:Compare anear identical bronze in the form of a dragon, 16.2 cm long, in the collection of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number .Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 28 July 2022, lot 3031Price: HKD 352,800 or approx.EUR 41,500 converted at the time of writingDescription: A rare bronze figure of a winged tiger, Eastern Zhou dynastyExpert remark: Note the much smaller size (11 cm)Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christies New York, 22 March 2013, lot 1233Price: USD 62,500 or approx.EUR 72,500 converted at the time of writingDescription: A Very Rare Bronze Tiger-Form Applique, Late Eastern Zhou Dynasty, 5th-4th Century BCExpert remark: Note the much smaller size (11.1 cm)西元前770-256年青銅龍鑄造精良，龍頭後轉，龍尾捲曲，造型美觀，龍身飾雲紋和螺旋紋。表面銅鏽堅固且自然，並有綠色紅色結殼。出版：Friedrich Georg Zeileis，《Von Shang bis Qing - Dreieinhalb Jahrtausende Chinesischer Bronze (From Shang to Qing – Three和a Half Millenia of Chinese Bronze)》，1999年，第318頁，圖118。