拍賣筆記 vol.91 蘇富比紐約：斯托克萊，埃斯肯納齊，銅鎏金龍首，31.75萬美金售出 - Stoclet, Eskenazi, A Eastern Han Dynasty Gilt-Bronze 'Dragon Head' Handle From The Jane And Leopold Swergold Collection

開拍就10萬美金，競爭激烈，線上也叫12萬，電話13萬，14、15萬cindy電話，線上在猶豫，16萬新電話，17萬，形成兩個電話對決。18萬、19萬、20萬serena電話。22萬，很高的價格，可見stoclet的名聲大，這件器物不大才13.3cm，還在爭奪。22萬停留很久，25萬追上來，405號牌，31.75萬美金售出。

Han Dynasty Gilt-Bronze Dragon Head_ Stoclet Collection

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據說存世不足十件，龍一直是中國最神聖的神獸之一，這件有1935年最大的中國藝術展覽出版，來自比利時審美頂點的斯托克萊家族收藏（Stoclet），相信會在拍賣中奪得佳績。

本品鑄工精巧，銅鎏金龍首氣勢凜然，實乃漢代金器珍罕佳例，來源顯赫，稀有難得。龍首細鑄精雕，鱗，鬚，牙，角纖毫畢現，並飾以鎏金，誠為藝術珍品，展現古時藝匠臻藝，亦顯物主權位非凡。

東漢 銅鎏金龍首飾件

蘇富比紐約拍賣開始

2025 March 18, 09:00 PM HKT

估價

150,000 - 250,000 USD

大漢龍威：銅鎏金龍首

自有文獻記載以來，龍在中國神話中一直占據崇高地位，形像極具威嚴，乃祥瑞之兆，掌生靈雨露，象徵仁德君主。

此龍首精工巧製，乃藝術珍品，原應為容器之耳，容器或為有機材質製，因年代久遠而風化消逝。銅器小巧精緻，表面質感豐富，配合龍首威嚴形像，倍顯尊貴。

此類龍首耳存世不足十例，形制相近，現存於世界各地重要收藏。可資比較者有江蘇省邗江甘泉二號漢墓出土一例，載於《文物》1981年第11期，頁6，圖15及圖版2:5；

另一例出土自河北省武清縣東漢鮮於璜墓（公元165年）出土一例，載於《考古學報》1982年第3期，圖版19:2； 例三出土自河南偃師寇店鄉西龐村磚廠，現藏洛陽博物館，圖見博物館網站；

紐約大都會博物館亦收藏一例，原屬Charlotte C. and John C. Weber收藏（館藏編號1992.165.25）(圖一)；倫敦大英博物館收藏一例，出自何鴻卿爵士收藏（館藏編號2022,3034.27）；

再比一例，坂本五郎珍藏，現存於奈良國立博物館（館藏編號1317-377）； 香港藝術館《青銅聚英：中國古代與鄂爾多斯青銅器》曾展一例，香港，1990年，編號117號，後售於紐約佳士得2010年9月16日拍賣，編號 917；

尚有一例，H.K. Burnet舊藏，1941年4月4日售於倫敦蘇富比，編號 382，近期易手於威立士拍賣行2023年5月24日，編號418；另一例出自Worch收藏，圖載梅原末治，《歐美蒐儲支那古銅精華》，大阪，1933年，第三冊，卷 I，圖版 64a。

此龍首耳曾屬比利時工程師暨金融家Adolphe Stoclet男爵（1871-1949年）及其夫人Suzanne Stoclet（1874-1960年）收藏，存於布魯塞爾斯托克雷宮，後者以新藝術風格建築傑作，由時代名家約瑟夫·霍夫曼（1850-1956年）設計，乃「整體藝術品」（Gesamtkunstwerk）典範，Stoclet伉儷廣博精湛之藝術收藏包括克林姆特所繪壁畫，即珍藏於此。Stoclet並收藏兩件珍貴漢代銅獸形器，展現其藝術品味與獨到眼光：其一為漢代辟邪飾件，文獻記載甚廣，售於香港蘇富比2022年10月10日，拍品1，原屬何鴻卿爵士珍藏；其二為青銅龍，乃Stoclet收藏最負盛名珍品之一，現為阿布扎比羅浮宮鎮舘重器，曾展於1935-1936年倫敦皇家藝術學院展覽會，編號489。

《常見問題解答：漢代鎏金銅龍首柄》

一、蘇富比紐約拍賣的此件漢代鎏金銅龍首柄具有何種特殊意義？此東漢鎏金銅龍首柄極為珍稀，工藝卓絕，且流傳有序，尤其因其與著名的斯托克雷（Stoclet）收藏淵源悠久，身價更為顯赫。已知相類之例全球僅存不到十件，此次拍賣出現，對藏家而言實屬難得機遇。

二、此漢代器物之主要特色及藝術價值何在？此龍首柄鑄造精緻，鱗片、龍鬚、牙齒與龍角等細節無一不精，且鎏金極為豐厚，造型威嚴而生動，體現中國文化中龍所象徵之權勢與尊榮。器物雖小（長僅13.3公分），卻反映出漢代金工技藝之高度成熟，並彰顯其原擁有者的崇高地位，可謂藝術珍品。

三、此龍首柄原本功能為何？雖然現今作為獨立藝術品受到高度珍視，但學者推測其原本應為更大器皿之把手，該器皿可能以有機材質製成，現已朽敗不存。其人體工學之設計顯示其原用途即為手持使用。

四、龍在中國古代文化中的象徵意義與文化重要性如何？龍在中國神話中自有記載以來即居於至高無上的地位，被視為祥瑞之象徵，能帶來恩澤萬物之甘霖，亦象徵仁德君主及其賢明統治。其威嚴且雄渾之形象，自古深受敬仰。

五、此鎏金銅龍首柄之流傳經歷為何，並為何如此重要？此龍首柄具有卓越的收藏傳承，最著名者為20世紀初比利時著名收藏家斯托克雷男爵（Baron Adolphe Stoclet）及夫人蘇珊（Suzanne）收藏，長期典藏於布魯塞爾著名的斯托克雷宮（Palais Stoclet）。斯托克雷宮以新藝術風格建築及卓越藝術收藏聞名於世，此龍首柄能為其所收藏，足見其非凡藝術水準。此物亦曾於1935-1936年倫敦皇家藝術學院「中國藝術國際展覽會」中展出。

六、此類漢代鎏金銅龍首柄存世之稀有程度如何？此類東漢鎏金銅龍首柄極為稀少，目前全球所知存世不足十例。拍賣圖錄特別詳列九件存於國際重要博物館及私人典藏中的類似例子，凸顯其珍罕程度。

七、此龍首柄之拍賣成交表現及估值如何？根據拍賣資訊，此龍首柄經過激烈競價後最終以317,500美元成交，遠高於最初15萬至25萬美元之估價區間。如此強勁表現，反映了此件器物的珍稀性、藝術價值及顯赫流傳紀錄。

八、此龍首柄及類似器物之存在，對漢代工藝及審美品味研究有何意義？此龍首柄精湛的鑄造工藝、細緻入微的裝飾技巧及大量使用鎏金工藝，清晰地反映東漢時期高超的金屬工藝水平。龍紋的選擇結合精緻優雅的藝術風格，體現出漢代社會精英階層的審美品味及神獸形象在當時文化與物質生活中的重要象徵地位。

A COLLECTING JOURNEY: THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

A very rare gilt-bronze 'dragon head' handle, Eastern Han Dynasty

Sotheby's New York

Session begins in

March 18, 09:00 PM HKT

Estimate

150,000 - 250,000 USD

Length 5¼ in., 13.3 cm

Provenance

Collection of Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949), by 1922.

Collection of Madame Féron-Stoclet.

Eskenazi, Ltd., London, March 2004.

Literature

Henri d'Ardenne de Tizac, Animals in Chinese Art, New York, 1922, pl. XXVIA (attributed to Tang dynasty).

Umehara Sueji, Shina kodo Seikwa / Selected Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Europe and America, Osaka, 1933, pt. III, vol. I, pl. 64b.

Herman Floris Eduard Visser, Asiatic Art in Private Collections of Holland and Belgium, Amsterdam, 1948, no. 159, pl. 71 (attributed to possibly Six Dynasties period).

Georges Salles and Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, Collection Adolphe Stoclet, Brussels, 1956, pp 386-389 (attributed to Six Dynasties period).

Exhibited

Exhibition of Chinese Art, Municipal Museum, Amsterdam, 1925, cat. no. 112.

International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935-36, cat. no. 541.

FROM THE MOUTH OF THE DRAGON: A RARE MASTERPIECE FROM THE AGE OF BRONZE

Peering out with grandeur and might, this intricately cast dragon’s head is a rare and spectacular example of Han dynasty metal work of unparalleled provenance. With each scale, whisker, tooth and horn delicately rendered with life-like precision and accentuated with liberal gilding, the present head is as much a piece of art as it is a symbol – a lasting homage to the mastery of an unknown ancient craftsman and the power of his mighty patron.

Since the earliest recorded sources, dragons have played a crucial role in Chinese cosmology. Seen as harbingers of good tidings, life-giving rains and benevolent rulers, the piercing eyes, cloudlike mane and fierce jaws of the dragon have long been associated with power and majesty. Though the present head is rightly considered a work of art in its own right, the piece was likely once produced as a handle to a larger organic vessel, long since degraded in antiquity. Fitting snugly in the hand, this elegant fitting is remarkably ergonomic and invites the viewer to hold it; capturing one’s senses with its regal appearance and tactile exterior.

Fewer than ten dragon handles of this rare type and period appear to be known, produced in a variety of related designs and preserved in important collections across the world: one excavated from a Han dynasty tomb no. 2 at Ganquan in Hanjiang, Jiangsu province, illustrated in Wenwu, 1981, no. 11, p. 6, fig. 15 and pl. 2:5; a second from the Eastern Han tomb of Xianyu Huang (dated to 165 CE) in Wuqing county, Hebei province, illustrated in Kaogu Xuebao, 1982, no. 3, pl. 19:2; a third, excavated from a brick factory in Xipang village, Koutian township, Yanshi, preserved in the Luoyang Museum, illustrated on the Museum’s website; a fourth from the collection of Charlotte C. and John C. Weber, preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 1992.165.25) (Fig. 1); a fifth from the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung, now in the British Museum, London (accession no. 2022,3034.27); a sixth, in the Sakamoto Collection at the Nara National Museum (accession. no. 1317-377); a seventh, included in Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 117, and later sold at Christie’s New York, 16th September 2010, lot 917; an eighth from the H. K. Burnet Collection, sold in our London rooms, 4th April 1941, lot 382 and more recently at Woolley & Wallis, 24th May 2023, lot 418; and a ninth from the Worch Collection, illustrated alongside the present, in Umehara Sueji, Shina kodo Seikwa / Selected Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Europe and America, Osaka, 1933, pt. III, vol. I, pl. 64a.

FIG 1. A GILT-BRONZE ‘DRAGON HEAD’ HANDLE, HAN DYNASTY © THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK

圖1 漢 銅鎏金龍首飾件 © 大都會藝術博物館，紐約

This remarkable handle was formerly in the treasured possession of Belgian engineer and financier Baron Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949) and his wife, Suzanne (1874-1960), housed in their Art Nouveau masterpiece, Palais Stoclet, in Brussels. Designed by Joseph Hoffmann (1850-1956), one of the era's leading artists, the home was a Gesamtkunstwerk (‘total work of art’) of sorts and housed the Stoclets' extensive and wide-ranging collection, which also included murals painted by Gustav Klimt. Two other celebrated bronze animals from this period were also once preserved in the Stoclets’ collection and speak to their aesthetic vision and unmatched eye: the first, a widely published Han dynasty fitting in the form of a bixie (chimera), most recently sold from the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung in our Hong Kong rooms, 10th October 2022, lot 1; and the second – perhaps the most famous piece in the entire collection – a large bronze winged dragon figure, now one of the highlights in the collection of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, similarly included in the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition of 1935-6, cat. no. 489.

THE PRESENT LOT ILLUSTRATED IN CATALOGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF CHINESE ART, ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS, LONDON, 1935-36, CAT. NO. 541.

本拍品錄於《中國藝術國際展覽會》，英國皇家藝術學院，倫敦，1935-36年，編號541

Frequently Asked Questions: Han Dynasty Gilt-Bronze Dragon Head Handle

1. What is the significance of the gilt-bronze dragon head handle being offered at Sotheby's New York? This Eastern Han Dynasty gilt-bronze dragon head handle is significant due to its rarity, exceptional craftsmanship, and prestigious provenance, particularly its long association with the renowned Stoclet Collection. With fewer than ten similar examples known to exist, its appearance at auction presents a rare opportunity for collectors.

2. What are the key characteristics and artistic merits of this Han Dynasty artifact? The dragon head is intricately cast with remarkable detail, evident in its scales, whiskers, teeth, and horns, all accentuated by significant gilding. Its formidable appearance embodies the power and majesty associated with the dragon in Chinese culture. While a small object (13.3 cm in length), it showcases the advanced metalworking techniques of the Han Dynasty and is considered an art treasure reflecting the high status of its original owner.

3. What was the original function of this dragon head? While valued as an individual work of art, it is believed that this gilt-bronze dragon head originally served as a handle for a larger vessel, likely made of organic material that has since decayed over time. Its ergonomic design suggests it was intended to be held.

4. What is the cultural and symbolic importance of the dragon in ancient China, as highlighted in the description? The dragon has held a paramount position in Chinese mythology since recorded history. It is seen as a symbol of auspiciousness, bringing life-giving rains, and representing benevolent rulers and their virtuous leadership. Its powerful and majestic imagery has long been revered.

5. What is the provenance of this particular gilt-bronze dragon head, and why is it noteworthy? This piece has a distinguished provenance, most notably its inclusion in the collection of Baron Adolphe Stoclet and his wife Suzanne, prominent Belgian art collectors of the early 20th century. It was housed in their famous Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Its presence in the Stoclet Collection, known for its exceptional art nouveau architecture and diverse art holdings, speaks to the high quality and artistic merit of the dragon head. It was also part of the significant 1935-1936 International Exhibition of Chinese Art at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

6. How rare are similar examples of this type of Han Dynasty gilt-bronze dragon head? This specific type of gilt-bronze dragon head handle from the Eastern Han Dynasty is extremely rare, with fewer than ten known examples surviving worldwide. The auction text meticulously lists nine comparable examples found in prominent museum and private collections across the globe, underscoring its scarcity.

7. What was the auction performance and estimated value of this piece? The provided text details a highly competitive bidding process that reached a final sale price of $317,500 USD, significantly exceeding the initial estimate of $150,000 - $250,000 USD. This strong performance reflects the artifact's rarity, quality, and esteemed provenance.

8. What does the existence of this dragon head and its counterparts tell us about Han Dynasty craftsmanship and artistic tastes? The intricate casting, detailed ornamentation, and liberal use of gilding on this dragon head demonstrate the sophisticated metalworking skills prevalent during the Eastern Han Dynasty. The choice of the dragon as a motif, combined with the refined artistry, reflects the artistic tastes of the elite and the symbolic importance of mythical creatures in their culture and material possessions.