"Kilin (licorne) Porte Miroir En Bronze Coulé. Chine Ancien 13-16° Siècle."
Cast bronze mirror holder representing a Ki-Lin. The fabulous Chinese animal is surrounded by sparks, it carries a cloud on its back which is used to hold a removable mirror, which has now disappeared. The unusually small dimension leads one to assume that this is a travel mirror holder? The animal is lying down and the sculptor has modeled an exaggeratedly wide hindquarters to give good stability to the whole. The way of treating the creature's face is unusual, it does not correspond to the Chinese style of the Ming or Qing dynasties. It could be a bronze from the Yuan period with Mongolian influence. The superb centuries-old patina of the bronze would confirm this earlier period. Some small accidents. 102x60mm 
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