CHINA, household items
   Use of bronze for household items seems to have endured into the 19th century.  I've many times entertained the logical scenario of people going about their business, finding some 1000 year old object on the ground, taking it home and using it.  Ancient spearheads dug up and turned into knives.  "I remember this spoon.  My grandmother told me her grandmother lost it one day, had a butterfly pattern in the bowl."

CHINA, E. ZHOU, 770-256 BC, bronze ladle, oval bowl 108x68mm & 20mm deep, solid handle broken at 85mm, 76g, 3mm hole in bowl, 2x4mm chip on rim, otherwise intact & nice $35.00 sold 8/8/2010
Click picture for enlargement.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHINA, ZHOU-HAN, c. 500-200 AD, bronze spoon, 90x50mm, 48g, leaf shaped bowl, socket for handle.  Holes, they tried to repair them, (maybe) fooled the supplier, but didn't fool me, VF $10.00 sold
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHINA, ZHOU-HAN, c. 500-200 AD, bronze ladle, 35x39mm & 25mm deep with pierced side tang for a wooden handle, utility curved design on bottom for balance, F $55.00
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHINA, ZHOU-HAN, c. 500-200 AD, bronze "wine" cup, 51x30mm with side handles, 18mm deep, F $55.00 sold
Supplier said "wine."  Seems a bit tiny for wine.  How about opium elixir? I don't know.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHPL1) CHINA, W. ZHOU Dynasty, 1122-770 BC, bronze pai tablets, 78x50mm, shield shape with 3 peaks on top, hollow back, crude linear decoration:
a) F $15.00 sold
Click picture for enlargement.
 
 
 
  
I frequently get stuff from China without explanation.  These were labelled "pai," which my dictionary defines as "tablets."  No further information was forthcoming.  I think these were decorative insets for walls or furniture.
 
 

 

CHL1) CHINA, HAN Dynasty?, c. 200 BC - 200 AD, bronze chest latch, 93x93mm, 3-leaf clover shape, nice hard patina, VF $65.00 sold 4/19/2018
Click picture for enlargement.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHFL1) CHINA, HAN-TANG?, c. 100 BC - 800 AD, bronze flange, 51mm diameter, round, slightly conical, central hole, decorated as a flower, an iron thing was in the center, somewhat crusty F $22.00
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CHRX1) CHINA, TANG, 618-750 AD, ornament of gold plated bronze, cruciform, onion shaped terminals, 2 ends are squat, 2 elongated, 112x55mm, 1 moderate & few minor edge chips, some crust, some missing plating, decent overall, $25.00 sold 6/28/2011
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A client writes: Such "crosses" originated in the Chinese central plain. They occur very often in Chinese decorative art under the Han, especially on box lids and mirror boxes ("lian"). They are supposed to be a symbol either of the "Four Orients" (four cardinal points) or the Polar star.  A gilded bronze specimen very similar to yours is displayed in the book "Mongolie, le premier empire des steppes", Actes-Sud, Paris, 2003 (with full commentary).
 
 
 

CHPL1) CHINA, bronze scoop-shaped scale pan, unknown age, my guess is 10-15th c. AD, 86x38x25mm, 38.2g, F $17.50
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CIL1) CHINA, iron oil lamp, 109x81mm, 38mm deep, teardrop shape, spout is an animal face, an old piece, modernly covered with gold paint, VF $55.00
Click picture for enlargement.
 
 









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