A GILT-BRONZE ‘XINIU’ WEIGHT, MING DYNASTY
China, 1368-1644. Finely cast, the legendary beast seated in a recumbent position with its head turned back over its body. The tail of the creature flicked across its haunches as its hooved feet are tucked up underneath it. The hair of the xiniu’s mane flowing down the back of its neck parallel to its single horn. The eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are detailed in bold lines, and the ribs are indicated by a series of deep striations.


Provenance:
Collection of Maria and Johannes Nickl, thence by descent in the same family. Maria (1926-2022) and Johannes Nickl (d. 2020) lived in Vienna, Austria, and were ardent collectors of Asian, Buddhist, and Egyptian works of art. They were highly active in Vienna’s tightknit Asian art trade and assembled most of their collection during the 1980s and 1990s, frequently buying from Galerie Zacke and later Galerie Asboth. The couple were also noted museum patrons and their names are still found on the Ehrentafel (‘Roll of Honor’) of the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (Museum of Fine Arts Vienna) today.

Condition:
Good condition with some casting flaws. Small nicks, light scratches, minor dents. Expected signs of weathering. Patches of fine patina with extensive wear to the gilding, small spots of cuprite and malachite encrustation.

Weight: 162 g
Dimensions: Length 5.4 cm


Animal-form weights have been used since antiquity
, with numerous examples surviving from the Han dynasty, from which they continued to be essential for scholars in subsequent periods. The Guyu Tu, found in the Illustrated Compendium of Ancient Jades, notes that Zhao Mengfu once bought an ancient jade bixie for use as a paperweight, indicating that scholars would sometimes appropriate favorite antiquities to serve this utilitarian function. The Xuande period in particular witnessed a renewed interest in bronze wares for the scholar's desk, including bronze animal-form weights such as the present lot.


The xiniu
is a legendary Chinese animal. In ancient Chinese texts, the term xiniu originally meant rhinoceros. In later periods, the creature became increasingly mythologized after the rhinoceros was extinct in post-archaic China. By the Song dynasty, it had become a beast of legend, known only through literary references.


Literature comparison:

For a Xuande mark and period mythical beast-form weight from the Xiaogushan Guan Studio Collection, see Rochers de Lettrés, Itinéraires de l'Art en Chine, Musée des Arts Asiatiques Guimet, Paris, 2012, cat. no. 58. Two weights, one cast as a scaly mythical beast and another of leonine form, were included in the exhibition Arts from the Scholar’s Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. nos 194 and 195. See a comparable example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, p.101, no. 87.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, lot 372
Price: HKD 56,250 or approx.
EUR 8,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt-bronze ‘tianlu’ paperweight, late Ming/early Qing dynasty
Excerpt: Compare the size (5.6 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 18 March 2014, lot 254
Price: USD 16,250 or approx.
EUR 19,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt-bronze lion-form paper weight, Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Observe the similar wear, recumbent pose, and ribs.





明代銅鎏金犀牛鎮紙


中國，1368-1644年。銅製犀牛，轉首仰視，四腿臥於身下，鬃毛細長，披撒在頸兩側，周身鎏金，雄健之神態自然流露。此器形態意趣憨樸，法度古拙。


來源：
Maria 與Johannes Nickl收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Maria (1926-2022) 與 Johannes Nickl (d.2020年) 住在奧地利維也納，是亞洲、佛教和埃及藝術品的熱心收藏家。他們在維也納的亞洲藝術貿易中非常活躍，並在 1980 年代和 90 年代收集了大部分藏品，經常從 Zacke 藝廊和後來的 Asboth藝廊購買。這對夫婦也是著名的博物館贊助人，他們的名字至今仍出現在維也納藝術史博物館（維也納美術博物館）埃及和近東藏品的榮譽榜上。

品相：
品相良好，有一些鑄造缺陷，小嗑損、輕微劃痕、輕微凹痕，有風化跡象。鎏金大面積磨損，包漿細膩，紅褐色藍綠色結殼。

重量：162 克
尺寸：長 5.4 厘米


動物形態的鎮紙
在中國自古以來就被使用，漢代就有許多例子留存下來。鎮紙是文人學者書房必不可少的物件。 《古玉圖鑑》中的《古玉圖》記載，趙孟頫曾買過一塊古玉辟邪當鎮紙用。尤其是宣德年間，文人書桌上的銅器重新受到關注，包括本拍品等動物形銅鎮。


犀牛
是中國傳說中的靈獸。在中國古代文獻中，“犀牛”一詞最初的意思是犀牛。後來，犀牛在中國滅絕後，這種生物變得越來越神話化。到了宋代，它已成為傳說中的神獸，只在文獻記載見到。


文獻比較：

有關Xiaogushan Guan Studio收藏的宣德年製和古代神獸紙鎮，見Rochers de Lettrés，《Itinéraires de l'Art en Chine，Musée des Arts Asiatiques Guimet》，巴黎，2012年，圖錄編號58。兩個紙鎮，一個是有鱗的神獸，另一個是獅形，被收錄在香港馮平山博物館的《學者工作室的藝術》展覽中，1986年，圖錄編號194 和 195。參見倫敦維多利亞和阿爾伯特博物館的類似例子，見Rose Kerr，《Later Chinese Bronzes》，倫敦，1990 年，頁101，編號87。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港邦瀚斯， 2013年5月26日，lot 372
價格：HKD 56,250（相當於今日
EUR 8,500
）
描述：明末清初銅鎏金天祿鎮紙
專家評論：比較尺寸(5.6厘米)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2014年3月18日，lot 254
價格：USD 16,250（相當於今日
EUR 19,500
）
描述：明銅鎏金獅形紙鎮
專家評論：觀察相似的磨損、臥姿和肋骨。