China, Song Dynasty - Lot 153

China, Song Dynasty Arched hair ornament (tiara) made of two 18k yellow gold leaves, repoussé, incised and assembled, decorated with flowering foliage surmounted by thirteen lotuses. L. 18 cm Weight: 23.55 g Provenance : Serge Le Guennan Collection This is the upper part of a hair ornament, more likely a tiara than a comb. It was probably held in place by one or, more likely, two pins. It is very close to a type of gold tiara that began to develop in the early Song dynasty and continued under the Yuan. Two fine examples can be found in the Mengdiexuan collection, illustrated in Julia M. White and Emma C. Bunker, Adornment for eternity: status and rank in Chinese ornament, Denver Art Museum, Eskenazi Gallery, Seattle art Museum, 1994, p.178, 90 and 904. The Uldry collection contains another, called a "hairpin" (chai) and dating from the Southern Songs, illustrated in Chinesisches Gold und Silber: die Sammlung Pierre Uldry, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, 1994, p. 243, no. 293. There are two main differences between these pieces and the one presented here, which make it all the rarer: its large size (most of the others are 11 to 12 cm), and its assembly technique. It's made from two assembled leaves, whereas on the others, the flowering cones or double cones are made separately (always in repoussé) and then assembled. Expert: Léonore de MAGNEE - +33 (0)6 73 53 26 25