Page 219 - Bonhams May 8-9 2017 London Fine Asian Art

586
AN ARCHAISTIC PARCEL-GILT BRONZE
BEAKER VASE, GU
Changxue two-character mark, 17th century
Decorated with cold-chiselled motifs high-
lighted with gilt, the mid-section with four
raised flanges and taotie masks, the flaring
neck and foot with stiff-leaf lappets enclosing
c-scrolls and stylised masks on a hexagonal
cell diaper ground, the mouth rim with incised
keyfret, the inset base with a tablet bearing
the incised two-character mark.
17.5cm (6 7/8in) high

£6,000 - 8,000
CNY52,000 - 69,000 HK$59,000 - 78,000

Provenance
Acquired in London in the mid-1980s by
repute, and thence by descent.

Modelled on the ancient ritual wine vessels
known as gu, the present vase was created
for the scholar’s studio. In its material, solid
casting and complex surface decoration it
may be attributed to the workshop of the
late Ming master metalworker Hu Wenming.
The cast bronze vessels, as opposed to the
beaten copper pieces, are among the finest
and the present piece is especially noteworthy
for its pleasing proportions and inspirational
decorative pattern that skilfully combines
archaistic and contemporary design elements.

The two-character mark on the base, 畼䦑
chang xue, appears to be extremely rare and
may be a clan or workshop name.

Another gu-shape vase is illustrated in
Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss in Arts from
the Scholar’s Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, p.
246, pl. 237, where the authors note that
vessels of this type were made primarily as an
art object used for holding flowers or ‘such
other trappings as a branch of coral, peacock
feathers, an inspiringly shaped piece of wood
or anything the scholar might chose to put
into it.’

Compare with an identical gu-form vase,
16th/17th century with a Yunjian Hu Wenming
zhi incised six-character mark, sold at
Christie’s, New York, 18-19 September 2014,
lot 1044. See another slightly larger vase,
unsigned but attributed to Hu Wenming, sold
at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, 4 April 2012, lot
122.

586

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot ASIAN ART - DAY 2 | 217
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.