East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 907 CE. A beautiful matched pair of gilt bronze handles with mask faces known as taoties. These taoties are characteristically shown with a forward facing and symmetrical visage. The ring handle is attached to the loop formed by the creature's snout. The mask faces are cast separate from the vessel and have arms on the verso for attaching to the sides of a ding vessel. The gilding on these suggests that the vessel they were part of was a magnificent piece. The taotie is a mythological creature with a ferocious appetite. Size (both the same): 1.5" W x 2" H (3.8 cm x 5.1 cm); 5.25" H (13.3 cm) on included custom stand.

The taotie is one of the "four fiends" or "four evil creatures" of Chinese mythology, and it is a particularly fascinating and ancient symbol seen on ancient bronzes. In the Lushi Chunqiu, known in English as Master Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, a Chinese encyclopedia compiled around 239 BCE, the taotie is described thusly: "The taotie on Zhou bronzes has a head but no body. When it eats people, it does not swallow them, but harms them" (16/3a Prophecy). This and other ancient descriptions of the creature suggest that it related to making food offerings/sacrifices for the insatiable spirits of the dead. Some scholars believe that the creature is part of the mysterious communication between people and the gods.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired from 2000 to 2010; ex-Hardt collection, Germany

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#184510

Handles from a larger vessel or other object. Light surface wear as shown, but otherwise both are in excellent condition with good remaining detail and gilding. Light patina and earthen deposits in areas.