The second Speelman highlight is a large bronze deer inscribed to the tenth year of the Chenghua reign, corresponding to 1474.

An eight-character inscription under the forelegs names the date and the maker Liu Dingzhi. Dated Ming animal bronzes of this size, with naturalistic modelling rather than a purely ritual silhouette, are scarce. The inscription gives the piece a fixed place in fifteenth-century Chinese metalwork, which most undated animal sculptures lack.

Bonhams estimates the lot at HK$7,000,000–9,000,000. Cover and in-article images are both this deer, not the gilt-bronze Avalokitesvara published alongside it.

Source: facts drawn from Bonhams, “6 Masterpieces Defining the Iconic Speelman Collection” (ICONIC SPEELMAN, Hong Kong, 28 October 2026). Text rewritten for NAGEL Topic Insights; not a verbatim reprint.