Page 242 - 2019 September 11th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art

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A SILVER-INLAID BRONZE EXHIBITED 宋至明 銅錯銀「英雄」合巹盃
‘CHAMPION’ VASE A Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes, Jades,
SONG - MING DYNASTY and Allied Decorative Works of Art from the 來源
Cunliffe Collection, Bluett & Sons, Ltd., London, Theodore Culty 收藏
cast in the form of two tubular vases, each 1973, pl. XXXI, cat. no. 21. Bluett & Sons, Ltd.，倫敦，1960年11月28日
rising from a splayed foot to a waisted neck and The Rt. Hon. Rolf，2nd Baron Cunliffe of
galleried rim, flanking a falcon standing atop The present form is known as a ‘champion’
the head of a bear crouching with outstretched vase, a term likely coined in the Qing dynasty Headley，Cunliffe 勛爵 (1899-1963) 收
limbs, the bird extending its wings across the is derived from the combination of the Chinese 藏，1960年11月30日，收藏編號B11
exterior of both vases, the reverse applied with names for eagle, ying, and for bear, xiong, which 倫敦邦瀚斯2016年5月12日，編號13
a chilong-form loop handle above the bear’s form the homophones for ‘champion’, ying 展覽
hindquarters with legs splayed and an upswept xiong. The vase is inspired by archaic bronze 《A Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes,
bifurcated tail protruding at the base, all inlaid prototypes produced from as early as the
with silver wire archaistic scrollwork, the bronze Western Han dynasty (206 BC- AD 9). Jades, and Allied Decorative Works of Art
patinated to a dark reddish-brown with traces A similar example of a Song to Ming dynasty from the Cunliffe Collection》，Bluett &
of malachite encrustation gold and silver-inlaid champion vase is Sons, Ltd.，倫敦，1973年，圖版XXXI，
Height 3½ in., 8.9 cm illustrated in Paul Moss and Gerard Hawthorn, 編號21
The Second Bronze Age. Later Chinese
PROVENANCE
Metalwork. Sydney Moss Ltd., London, 1991,
Collection of Theodore Culty. cat. no. 3. Related examples with minimal
Bluett & Sons, Ltd, London, 28th November surface decoration, include a vase from the
1960. collection of Ulrich Hausmann, also attributed
Collection of Lord Cunliffe, The Rt. Hon. Rolf, to the Song to Ming dynasty, sold in our Hong
2nd Baron Cunliffe of Headley (1899-1963), Kong rooms, 8th October 2014, lot 3328.
30th November 1960, coll. no. B11.
Bonhams London, 12th May 2016, lot 13. $ 50,000-70,000

240 SOTHEBY’S IMPORTANT CHINESE ART