Author Topic: Bronze Lizard antique, identification? (with pictures) potentially Ming dynasty  (Read 2534 times)

ushotkennyx

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Hey,

i'm new here and am not an antique dealer but my grandfather was and my grandmother has given me one of his antiques from his collection for my birthday.

I was curious as to what century it came from and origin, my grandmother believes it may be (Ming dynasty).

It is thought to be bronze and i assume it was placed onto another object as it is hollowed and doesn't stand evenly on a flat surface. Here are some pictures of various angles of the lizard. I can take more if necessary.


[img=http://s22.postimg.org/71g8wsx8d/IMG_1915.jpg]http://



Ipcress

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Looks like it's off something but i think it's worth is very minimal

mart

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Can you takew a closeup of the underside pic ??  That casting doesn`t look that old but will look at close-up !!

bigwull

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The joys of dial up...If we get any closer...we,ll be inside the bloody thing..... ;D
I make no excuses,and no apologies....but i like a good Malt,

ushotkennyx

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If you need any more specific photos just let me know,

as you may see there are several holes in the base and also on the inside there are two bumps as shown in the last image on each side and another 4 at the front end of the lizard.

my first reaction to it is that perhaps it was used for a water feature as the blue inside may be rust? also the mouth shape reminds me much of fountain ornaments in design:

such as this


bigwull

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bronze does not rust,as it is a non-ferrous alloy....it takes a patina....
I make no excuses,and no apologies....but i like a good Malt,

bigwull

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are these holes threaded,...
I make no excuses,and no apologies....but i like a good Malt,

Ipcress

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It's also been constructed from two halves with the tail added on.


Don't rate it at all. Sorry !

ushotkennyx

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yeah sorry i meant tarnish not rust, and yes all three of the holes on the base are threaded.

The lizard seems to be assembled from two halves as there is a straight line across the centre of the lizard suggesting this.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2013, 08:47:38 am by ushotkennyx »

ushotkennyx

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Guess it's much more recently made than i thought :/

bigwull

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as the holes are threaded..are they an imperial thread or a metric...a simple way to test..if you are in the US,...and still using old measures,is to get a threaded screw from any Japanese appliance,these will be metric,and see if it will thread in..from the pics the hole size looks like 3mm/4mm...if it is metric then...then i,m afraid its more ding than Ming....
I make no excuses,and no apologies....but i like a good Malt,

ushotkennyx

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its an imperial thread, metric screws won't fit in

bigwull

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But Not Chinese Imperial...more like home grown....
I make no excuses,and no apologies....but i like a good Malt,

mart

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At least I am not the bearer of bad news on this one !!