Lot 1557
BRICK FROM THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA,
in a hardwood frame with a white metal plaque inscribed 'PRESENTED TO/THE ROTARY CLUB OF BRISTOL/BY/THE ROTARY CLUB OF SHANGHAI/1929', brick dimensions height 9.5cm, width 36.5cm, depth 17.5cm; together with a printing plate of a photograph of members of both clubs taken after the presentation ceremony.
Provenance: Presented by the Rotary Club of Shangahi to a visiting delegation of the Rotary Club of Bristol in 1929 and kept in store by the Bristol Club ever since.
Footnote: the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, owns a very similar brick housed in an identical hardwood frame, Object 364907. That brick was gifted to MAAS in 2007 having previously been on display in the 'Great Wall of China: dynasties, dragons and warriors' exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum between September 2006 and February 2007. The footnote to the entry on the MAAS website suggests their brick was obtained as a trophy, perhaps illegitimately. The brick being offered here come with direct provenance dating back to when it was gifted from one Rotary Club to another and is offered in the packing case that it was transported in on its journey from China to the UK.
