Page 298 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Nov 2013 Hong Kong

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An impressively large archaic bronze ‘elephant’ basin
Eastern Zhou dynasty
Heavily cast in the form of a deep vessel with flat base, the outward
splaying sides ending in a flaring rim, the exterior decorated with a
band of interlocking archaistic scrolls, flanked on the sides with a pair
of prominent elephant heads with the trunks forming part of the ‘C’-
shaped handles, the animals with flapping ears spread wide and cast
with archaistic scrolls, and also issuing loose-hanging circular rings.
48cm wide.
HK$150,000 - 250,000
US$19,000 - 32,000
東周 青銅螭虺紋獸首銜環耳鑑
Compare also a similar excavated example unearthed at Beixinbao
village, Huailai district, Hebei province, in 1963, in the Cultural Relics
Institute, Hebei province, illustrated in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji
9. Eastern Zhou 3, Beijing, 1997, pp.132-133, no.130 & 131. The
illustrated example dating to the Spring and Autumn period, shares
similarities in terms of the flaring mouthrim and ‘elephant’-like taotie
handles is missing the ring handles.
造形碩大的青銅器十分罕見，與本拍品比較之出土器，有河北懷來北辛
堡出土之波曲紋四耳鑑，見《中國美術分類全集.中國青銅器全集.東周
3》，北京，1997年，頁132-133，編號130，131。該例子比本拍品為
大，通體飾花紋，是東周時期早期燕文化之重要遺物。

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