Page 68 - Bonhams May 2022 Arrow Vases

23
A VERY RARE BRONZE ARROW VASE,
TOUHU
Yuan Dynasty
Finely cast with a compressed globular body
rising from a spreading foot and surmounted by
a tall cylindrical neck with a pair of tubular lug
handles at the top, the body cast in relief with
four auspicious beasts interspersed between
fin-shaped flanges, the shoulders enclosed with
a band of lappets enclosing honeycomb diaper
ground, the tall neck cast in high relief with two
sinuous dragons around the midsection of the
neck above bow-string band and a register of
huiwen ground. 35.5cm (14in) high, 3.1kg.
HKD200,000 - 300,000
US$26,000 - 38,000
元 銅螭龍紋雙貫耳投壺

Provenance:
Jeremy Mason, London, 22 November 1989
The Brian Harkins Collection

來源：
1989年11月22日購於倫敦古董商Jeremy Mason
布萊恩·哈金斯珍藏
The present vase is impressively cast with the
sinuous chi dragons in one piece, writhing
across the neck of the vase with further carved
detail. The depiction of the dragons stretching
out their limbs, extending vertically along one
side of the vessel is common on the porcelain
of the Yuan and the early Ming dynasties.
Compare with a reverse-decorated blue and
white dish with similarly decorated dragons in
the Ataka collection, Yuan, illustrated in Sekai
tōji zenshū (Ceramic Art of the World), Tokyo,
1976, vol.13, p.108, pl.88. The band of lappets
on the shoulder forming a quatrefoil pattern or
shidi wen overall, and further dividing the pedals
by foliage somewhat are in the shape of pagoda,
which can be also widely found on porcelain in
Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Compare with
a blue and white 'peony' jar similarly decorated
lotus petals near the foot in Shanghai Museum,
Yuan dynasty, illustrated in Splendors in Smalt:
Art of Yuan Blue and White Porcelain, Shanghai,
2012, no.8.
壺口圓唇，兩側鑄貫耳，壺口及貫耳飾回紋錦
地，壺頸分兩段，上段前後鑄浮雕螭龍紋，下
段飾回紋錦地，肩部飾柿蒂紋，柿蒂邊線鉤連成
蓮葉紋，柿蒂以回紋為地，圓鼓腹，出四鰭狀扉
棱，每面正中鑄浮雕回首麒麟，束腰回紋地，
圈足兩層。

此壺螭龍不同於常見投壺所鑄螭龍，一般為立體
分鑄之螭龍躬身纏繞壺身，此壺則為一體鑄造，
再鏨刻出細節。此龍立身，前爪左右伸開，後
爪上下奔開，此一形態在元代與明早期瓷器上多
有描繪，參考一件日本安宅藏元代霽藍釉白花龍
紋盤，其龍紋姿態與本件頗似，見《世界陶瓷全
集》，東京，1976年，卷13，頁108，圖版88
。肩部蓮葉紋亦是典型元代風格，元代青花瓷常
見此類長身多層寶塔式蓮葉，一直沿用明初，可
參考上海博物館藏一件元代青花纏枝牡丹穿花卉
紋獸耳罐底部裝飾之蓮瓣紋，見《幽藍神采：元
代青花瓷器特集》，上海，2012年，編號8。
66 | BONHAMS