Page 38 - China's Renaissance in Bronze, The Robert H.CIague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes 1100-1900

The diaper pattern in the second register seems to be a simplified version
of that on the previous zun-shaped censer [2], while the swastika panels in
register three resemble design elements found in architectural ornament,
printed books, and carved lacquer. (An auspicious Buddhist emblem in
East Asia, the swastika is also a symbol for the character wan, or 'ten
thousand/ which further imbues it with auspicious meaning.) Perhaps
textile patterns played a role in the creation of the all-over pattern on this
bronze; equally possible is that Song and Yuan bronze casters simply
created an eclectic new style of decoration for their vessels, turning some-
times to antiquity for inspiration, sometimes to contemporaneous works
in other materials. In typical Song and Yuan fashion, the decoration of this
vase was integrally cast with the vessel itself, showing minimal cold working
after casting. The cylindrical appendages were cast separately and joined
to the neck with applied molten metal when all elements were complete;
the original base was most likely added in the same way [compare 3].
Although the previous hu and zun censer [1, 2] have relatively thick walls
and are thus heavy in relation to their size - seemingly a feature of the
best Song bronzes - the thin walls and light weight of this vase are far
more typical of late Song and Yuan bronzes, as are the slightly less precise
casting and the tiny clouds of bronze that mar the decorative scheme in a
few areas. Also arguing for a late Song to Yuan date is the apparently
arbitrary application of the decorative scheme to the surface of the vase,
with the result that in the top register, for example, some of the rising
lappets are centered while others are not, and yet others are cut through
by the vertical ridge bordering the facet. The second register and the foot
seem to lack any centering of the design at all; although the patterns in
registers three and four seemingly fit their respective panels, the effect
may be no more than an illusion created by very small repeating design
elements that generally appear centered of their own accord and that do
not cry loudly when bisected by borders. This lack of concern with centering
and symmetry is a characteristic that finds precedent in the seemingly
arbitrary placement of the pushou-mask escutcheon in relationship to the
surface decor surrounding it on the previous zun-shaped censer [2], and
in the arbitrary accommodation of the interlaced-dragon panels to their
surrounding strapwork borders, with the result that the borders cut through
elements of the dragon interlace, on the previous hu [1].
Setting aside art-historical analysis and argument, the most com-
pelling reason for assigning this vase to the Southern Song or Yuan period 12
is its striking similarity to related pieces archaeologically recovered from

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