China, 206 BC to 220 AD. The lamp is made in the shape of an ear cup and raised on a narrow foot ring. One side of the cover is hinged and has a spout at one end and a pricket on the interior. The cover is divided into quadrants cast with dragons and tigers separated by a central panel with inscriptions and set with tiny loops similar to a third at one end of the lamp. The dragon and tiger motifs are repeated on the handles.

Inscriptions: To the central panel, ‘[…] zi ji’.

Provenance: Guy Portier, Paris, France, 22 February 1969. Dr. Wou Kiuan, acquired from the above. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. H.1.1. Guy Portier (1919-2005) was an important French auctioneer and Asian art expert. His father André specialized in the import of silk from the Far East and later served as an expert in the sales of major French collections of Asian art. Guy was in charge of the silk department of the family company until he took over in 1942, gradually focusing on Far Eastern works of art, Japanese prints being one of his passions. In 1967, he included a list of estimates for the objects put up for sale in one of his catalogs for the first time, back in these days a revolutionary change. The family company, Cabinet Portier, still exists to this day. Dr. Wou Kiuan (1910-1997) was a Chinese diplomat and noted scholar of Chinese art.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, minor losses, signs of weathering and erosion, small nicks, light scratches. Fine, naturally grown, rich patina with malachite and cuprite encrustations.

Weight: 287.6 g
Dimensions: Length 10 cm

Dr. Wou’s immense passion and superior knowledge sometimes allowed him to pick up unusual and exquisite Chinese works of art with rare inscriptions, right under the noses of the most experienced dealers and collectors of his days, simply because most of them were unable to read Chinese. The present lot is yet another testimonial to this fact.

Literature comparison:
A closely related bronze oil lamp, also dated to the Han dynasty, is illustrated in Bronze Articles for Daily Use: The Complete Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2006, no. 90. It is inscribed yi zi sun ji ('blessings for future generations') in the center panel of the cover. Note that two of these characters (‘zi’ and ‘ji’) are also found on the present lot. A closely related bronze oil lamp, 13 cm long, also dated to the Han dynasty, is in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1930.907, illustrated by C.F. Kelley and Chen Mengjia in Chinese Bronzes from the Buckingham Collection, 1946, p. 199, pl. LXIX.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Near-identical
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2013, lot 1245
Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 36,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small bronze oval oil lamp, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the near-identical form, decorations, and size (10.2 cm). Note that the oil lamp is inscribed yi zi sun ji ('blessings for future generations') in the center panel of the cover, with two of these characters (‘zi’ and ‘ji’) also found on the present lot.



漢代銅燈
中國，公元前206 年至公元220 年。燈做成耳杯狀，橢圓形淺圈足上。蓋子的一側是鉸接的，一端可以上翻。燈罩分為龍紋和虎紋，由帶有銘文的中央面板隔開，並在燈的一端設置類似於三分之一的小環。手柄上重複出現龍虎圖案。

款識：[…] 子 吉

來源：法國巴黎Guy Portier，1969年2月22日；吳權博士購於上述藝廊。吳蓮伯美術館，館藏 H.1.1.號。Guy Portier (1919-2005) 是法國重要的拍賣師和亞洲藝術專家。他的父親André專門從事從遠東進口絲綢，後來成為法國主要亞洲藝術收藏品的銷售專家。Guy在 1942 年接任之前負責家族企業的絲綢部門，逐漸專注於遠東藝術作品，收藏日本版畫是他的愛好之一。1967 年，他首次在自己的目錄中列出了待售物品的估價清單，這在當時是一個革命性的變化。家族企業 Cabinet Portier 至今仍然存在。吳權博士(1910-1997) 是一位中國外交家和知名中國藝術學者。
品相：品相極好，與年齡相稱。嚴重磨損、風化和侵蝕跡象、小刻痕、輕微劃痕。細膩包漿，帶有紅綠色結殼。

重量：287.6 克
尺寸：長10 厘米

吳博士對收藏有著巨大的熱情和豐富的知識，他能夠在他那個時代最有經驗的經銷商和收藏家的眼皮子底下挑選到不尋常且精美的帶有罕見銘文的中國藝術品，僅僅因為他們中的大多數人都看不懂中文。現在的拍品是這一事實的又一證明。

文獻比較：
一件非常相近的漢代銅油燈漢代銅油燈，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系‧青銅生活器》，香港，2006年，編號90。此銅燈蓋上刻有銘文「宜子孫吉」。請注意其中兩字銘文「子」和「吉」，和我們的銅燈相同。一件非常相近的漢代銅油燈，13 厘米長，收藏於芝加哥藝術學院，收藏編號1930.907，見C.F. Kelley和Chen Mengjia，《Chinese Bronzes from the Buckingham Collection》，1946年，頁199，圖LXIX。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：幾乎相同
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2013年3月22日，lot 1245
價格：USD 30,000（相當於今日EUR 36,000）
描述：漢「宜子孫」銘燈
專家評論：比較幾乎相同的外形、裝飾和尺寸(10.2 厘米)。請注意此銘燈蓋上刻有「宜子孫吉」。