Page 47 - Bonhams May 2022 Arrow Vases

Depicting motifs using low-relief slender lines
was usually seen on early bronze mirrors, such
as Han dynasty examples. Compare a bronze
mirror with its raised-band motifs, Eastern
Han dynasty, in the Palace Museum, Beijing,
illustrated in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji
(Complete Collection of Chinese Bronzes),
Beijing, 1998, vol.16, pl.68. During the Song to
Yuan dynasties, such outlined decoration can be
seen on bronze basins. Compare with several
related bronze basins, Song or Xixia dynasty,
in the Cernuschi Museum, Paris, illustrated
by M.Maucuer, Bronzes de la Chine Impériale
des Song aux Qing, Paris, 2013, pl.93-96.
Interestingly, the author noted that two basins,
pls.94 and 95, are works of Xixia dynasty, which
might suggest the present lot's unusual design
was influenced from Northwest China.
Geometrical stylised taotie masks are rather rare;
compare however with a related bronze vase,
Yuan dynasty, in the Victoria and Albert Museum,
illustrated by R.Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes,
London, 1990, p.46, pl.36.
The unusual decoration of tadpoles may
represent the auspicious wish for many offspring,
as well as possibly a rebus, with the similarity
in sound of tadpole 蝌蚪 kedou, and 科舉 keju
referring to the Imperial Examinations, hence
also representing the wish for the offspring to
have success in the Imperial Examinations.
壺口圓唇，兩側鑄貫耳，壺口及貫耳飾回紋錦
地，壺頸飾陽線幾何形饕餮紋，肩部飾陽線蝌蚪
水波紋，扁鼓腹，出四戟，兩戟之間飾陽線幾何
線條饕餮紋，圈足微侈，上飾陽線蕉葉紋。
此壺紋飾特別，以陽線勾勒饕餮紋，線條曲折成
抽象幾何形狀，而整體可辨為饕餮。此類陽文細
線勾勒常出現在漢代銅鏡，立件銅器身上十分
少見。參考北京故宮藏一件東漢羽人禽獸博局紋
鏡之細線陽文紋飾，見《中國青銅器全集》，北
京，1998年，卷16，圖版68。宋元時期，裝飾
此類細線陽紋銅器似乎只見於銅盆，參考數件巴
黎賽奴奇亞洲博物館藏宋代及西夏銅盆，其紋飾
便如此件皆以細線陽紋勾勒，見M.Maucuer著，
《Bronzes de la Chine Impérialedes Song aux
Qing》，巴黎，2013年，圖版93-96。舘方將圖
版94及95銅盆定為西夏，或可解釋本件投壺紋
飾的獨特之處。
變體幾何形饕餮紋亦頗少見，可參考英國維多利
亞及艾伯特博物館藏一件元代銅壺所飾幾何紋，
見柯玫瑰著，《Later Chinese
Bronzes》，倫敦，1990年，頁49，圖版36。

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