330 - SMALL SILVERED BRONZE BOWL WITH DRAGON HANDLES CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

SMALL SILVERED BRONZE BOWL WITH DRAGON HANDLES CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 6,3 cm Wide 10 cm Depth 15,8 cm Weight: 344,7 grams A small cast-bronze bowl of hemispherical form, raised on a spreading pedestal foot and flanked by openwork handles modelled as stylised dragons emerging from scrolling ornament. A beaded band defines the rim. Traces of the original silvered surface remain most clearly within the interior, contrasting with the warmer exposed bronze of the worn exterior. The dragon was among the most powerful auspicious motifs in Chinese decorative art, associated with authority, vitality and beneficent power. On a vessel of this intimate scale the paired dragon handles also serve a practical compositional purpose, extending the silhouette horizontally and transforming a simple bowl into a more elaborate table object. Wear, surface abrasions and substantial losses to the silvering are consistent with age and use.