Page 47 - China's Renaissance in Bronze, The Robert H.CIague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes 1100-1900

associated with the Song and Yuan dynasties, and thus differ from the lion
and elephant heads that, while occasionally appearing on Song and Yuan
bronzes, are a more standard feature of Ming and Qing ones.
The integral casting of decoration and body (with minimal cold
working) establishes the twelfth-to-fourteenth century date of this vase,
as does the low-relief decorative scheme with its relationship to features
on contemporaneous ceramics. As noted in previous entries, the thin
walls, relatively light weight, and dark brown patina are typical of this
group of bronzes. Rose Kerr has dated a virtually identical vase in the
collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, to the twelfth to
fourteenth century. 10
The refined shape, elegant proportions, and symmetrical design set
this vase slightly apart from related pieces of the same period [compare
2-6], as do the incorporation of plain surfaces and the more sensitive
integration of the ring handles into the overall design scheme. The meaning
of such differences, if any, is unclear, though vessels of this type herald
the advent of the Ming style [see 7].

T H E R O B E R T II. C L A G U E C O L L E C T I O N 47