Page 252 - Important Chinese Art Sothebys March 2019

668
A GILT-BRONZE ‘DRAGON’ BELT
BUCKLE
WARRING STATES PERIOD
cast in the form of a sinuous dragon, the
serpentine body in profile undulating with
ribbon-like fins, at one end the dragon’s head
bent grasping a ‘flaming pearl’ in its ferocious
jaws, the tail end issuing a hook terminating in a
smaller serpent-like head, a knop at the interior
for attachment, Lucite stand (2)
Length 6⅞ in., 17.5 cm
PROVENANCE
Collection of pauline (1910-1992) and myron s.
Falk Jr. (1907-1992), no. 534.
Christie’s new York, 15th october 2001, lot 507
(part lot).
$ 4,000-6,000

戰國 銅鎏金龍形帶鉤
來源
Pauline (1910-1992) 及 Myron S. Falk Jr.
(1907-1992) 收藏，編號534
紐約佳士得2001年10月15日，編號507
668 （其一）

669

propertY From the CoLLeCtIon oF BarBara
anD sheLDon BreItBart
A BRONZE ARROW VASE
SONG / YUAN DYNASTY

the archaistic fanghu form with a rounded lower
body rising from a spreading foot to a tapering
square neck flanked by tubular handles of
square section, the body cast in relief with
taotie masks surrounded by inverted s-form
spirals below a field of swirling waves, the
handles and foot with leiwen
height 6⅜ in., 16.4 cm
Compare the waves on the present fanghu with
those cast on a bronze handled hu with punched
inscription above the foot corresponding to
the year 1173, now in the Victoria and albert
museum, London, and illustrated in rose Kerr,
‘rethinking some Later Chinese Bronzes,’ Arts of
Asia, nov-Dec 2013, p. 93, fig. 7. Kerr discusses
the song dynasty penchant for ancient bronze
vessels and the likely dependence upon line-
drawn woodblock prints for the recreation of the
vessels. Without access to the genuine articles,
artisans looked to sources such as the Bogu
tulu, compiled around 1123, and these line-drawn
depictions of Zhou dynasty and other archaic
bronzes likely influenced the clear outlines of
archaistic decoration in many song bronzes, as
669
seen on the present example.
$ 8,000-12,000
宋 / 元 銅海水獸面紋貫耳方壺

250 SOTHEBY’S Important ChInese art