‘Slender gold’ script

339, Lot: 525. Estimate $100. Sold for $130. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CHINA, Northern Sòng dynasty. Huīzōng. AD 1100-1125. Æ 5 Wén (35mm, 10.23 g). Cast AD 1102-1106. Chong Ning Tong Bao in shòujīnshū Hànzì (slender gold script) characters / Blank. Hartill 16.399. Near EF, delicate green patina with hints of golden earth tones.

From the J.P. Righetti Collection.

Emperor Huīzōng was a consummate artist, excelling in painting, poetry, and calligraphy. The ‘slender gold’ style, though originating in the Tang dynasty, was particularly favored by the emperor. Unfortunately for the Sòng, Huīzōng’s passion for art left him unprepared to handle the crisis presented by an invading Jin army, eventually leading to the capture of his court and the loss of half the empire to barbarian conquest.