An elegant filigree gold hair ornament in the shape of a bat, Qing dynasty, Qianlong (1736-95).
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Executed in fine filigree work, the body and head made of thin, plaited gold wires soldered together over a wire framework, the beak formed from plain beaten gold, the body resting on outstretched wings of further filigree network and beaten gold trimmed with twisted wire. Measure 5.5x5 cm. Weight 12 gram.
Provenance
From the Collection of Dr Emil Hultmark (1872-1943), Stockholm, thence by descent within the family until now.
Dr Emil Hultmark was an art historian, collector, donor and patron of the arts. He combined important work as an art historian not only with the creation of one of the largest and most remarkable private art collections in Sweden, but also with the construction of an archive of Swedish artists and art craftsmen unparalleled in its extent, together with a library containing almost all that has been written about Swedish art.
Emil Hultmark was one of the co-founders of the ‘Kinaklubben’ (China Club) in Stockholm in the 1920's with Carl Kempe (1884-1967) and the Crown Prince Gustav Adolf. He is a well known collector and his beautiful home and summer house is well documented in the magazine 'Svenska Hem i ord och bild' in the 1930's, which provide us with a fascinating window into this golden age of European collecting.
Exhibitions
Exhibited at Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening, Emil Hultmarks Samling, Stockholm 1942. Lot no 601. In this exhibition catalogued as Tang-Songdynasty.