1-234-642 - The Museum of East Asian Art/Heritage Images

Gilt bronze bird on lotus applique, late Tang or Liao dynasty, China, 9th -10th century. A gilt bronze phoenix-like bird with swept back raised wings with traced feathers. The bird stands on a ball on top of a lotus throne with petalled base. The bird's raised head has a hooked beak and crest and rises above the level of the long upraised curving tail held erect.