160. DEUX RARES PETITS LIONS BOUDDHISTES EN BRONZE Dynastie Ming ou antérieur TWO RARE SMALL BRONZE PAPER OR SCROLL WEIGHTS Ming Dynasty or earlier Each finely and heavily cast in the form of a Buddhist lion, seated on their hind legs scratching the back of their ears, their mouths wide open and snarling in a fierce expression showing the fangs, with large bulging eyes and bushy eyebrows, the muscular body tensed and dramatically turned around, one lion with inlaid eyes and flanked by a cub resting on its knee, single silk stand. 8cm (3 1/8in) and 7.5cm (3in) high. (3). 明或更早 銅獅鎮紙兩件 Provenance: The lion: Collection of Heinrich Vetter, Mannheim (1910-2003) Lempertz, Cologne, 4 June 2003, lot 173 (the lion on stand) The lioness: Formerly in a French collection, acquired in the 1970s (by repute) Nagel, Stuttgart, 8 May 2009, lot 97 來源： 公獅： 曼海姆Heinrich Vetter（1910-2003）珍藏 倫佩茨拍賣行，科隆，2003年6月4日，編號173 母獅： 法國私人舊藏，於1970年代入藏（傳） 納高拍賣行，斯圖加特，2009年5月8日，編號97 Compare with a very similar bronze paper or scroll weight, illustrated in Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, cat.no. 51. The authors note that the illustrated lion paper weight is an enigma as it differs in size, patina, quality and refinement from other known bronze weights cast in animal form, hence dating it to the Ming dynasty or earlier. Compare also with another bronze lion paper or scroll weight, sold in Christie's London, 10 December 1979, lot 41, and a third example, dated to the Song dynasty, sold in Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2002, lot 71.