Bidspirit auction | Chinese Ming Gilt Bronze Mythical

Chinese Ming Gilt Bronze Mythical Turtle Water Pot - Chinese Ming dynasty gilt bronze tortoise dragon (Longgui) water pot or scholar's object in the form of a bronze seal, possibly of the Yongle period, ca. 1402-1424. For similar examples, see: ”Gilded Copper Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) Statue, ” Yongle era, in the collection of the Hubei Provincial Museum; ”Bronze Turtle Dragon (Longgui) Sculpture, ” Forbidden City (Beijing), China, commissioned by Emperor Yongle in 1406, occupied in 1420; Sotheby's, New York, ”Important Chinese Art, ” Sept. 11, 2019, Lot 800; Sotheby's, Hong Kong, ”Important Chinese Art, ” July 11, 2020, Lot 3658. Provenance: By repute, from the estate of Bert Schwarz (1915-2003), Blairsville, Georgia; Private Minnesota Collection. Bert Schwarz headed a prominent textile company in Japan following their surrender in 1945. He lived part-time in Hong Kong and visited China during the early days of open trading. Height: 2 1/4 in x width: 2 in x depth: 1 3/4 in. Condition: Trace amounts of gilt left. No major dents. Some areas of pitting along the extreme edges.