Page 74 - Bonhams May 2022 Arrow Vases

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A VERY RARE BRONZE ARROW VASE, TOUHU
14th/15th century
Elaborately cast, the compressed globular body cast with four panels
decorated with auspicious beasts amidst crashing waves, each
separated with flanges in the form of scrolling ruyi-clouds, two sinuous
chilong writhing around the middle section of the neck above stylised
mountains and ruyi-cloud scrolls, the spreading foot and shoulders
similarly cast with rocks and crashing waves, a pair of tubular lug
handles flanking the upper neck with a densely meandering
lotus scroll.
42.1cm (16 5/8in) high, 7.2kg.

HKD150,000 - 200,000
US$19,000 - 26,000
十四/十五世紀 銅鏨刻犀牛望月紋投壺

Provenance:
Sotheby's, London, 1 November 1985
The Brian Harkins Collection

來源：
倫敦蘇富比，1985年11月1日
布萊恩·哈金斯珍藏

Compare with a closely related bronze arrow vase cast with similar 壺口兩側鑄雙貫耳，壺口及貫耳鏨刻浮雕纏枝番蓮紋，壺頸前後各鑄
high-relief decorations, which was exhibited in the Hong Kong 螭龍一尾，螭龍躬身又成一耳，龍獨角，三爪，花尾，鬚鱗鏨刻立
Museum of Art and illustrated in The Radiant Ming 1368-1644, through 體，頸身上層浮雕雲紋，下層浮雕山崖一周，肩部飾江水紋，鼓腹，
the Min Chiu Society Collection, Hong Kong, 2015, p.316, pl.240. 腹部出四個雲紋扉棱，兩兩之間鏨刻海水犀牛一組，喇叭形圈足，其
上飾海水江崖。
Compare the high-relief similarly-shaped cloud-scroll flanges on the
present vase with a related bronze arrow vase, dated 16th century, 此壺紋飾全深刀鏨刻而成，花紋立體深峻，線條流暢生動，有削鐵如
illustrated by P.K.Hu, Later Chinese Bronzes: The Saint Louis Art 泥之功。香港閒趣軒藏一件明代青銅高浮雕雲龍紋投壺，工藝及紋飾
Museum and Robert E. Kresko Collections, Saint Louis, 2008, 與此頗似，特別是其貫耳之蓮紋及壺身鏨刻之海水江崖紋，展覽於香
pp.36-41, no.5. The high-relief 'jagged' decoration is reminiscent of 港藝術館，見《日昇月騰：從敏求精舍看明代》，香港，2015年，
the decoration on a bronze arrow vase, Yuan dynasty, 13th century, 編號240，頁316。美國聖路易斯藝術博物館藏一件明代正德至萬曆
illustrated by D.Failla, Food for the Ancestors Flowers for the Gods,
Genova, 2017, p.305, fig.22.1. 時期銅投壺，其扉棱與本件頗似，見Philip Hu著，《Later Chinese
Bronzes: The Saint Louis Art Museum and Robert E. Kresko Collec-
The vase is crisply and smoothly cast to depict a one-horned tions 》, 聖路易斯，2008年，頁36-41，編號5。又可參考意大利熱那
rhinoceros with a buffalo body. Such design of rhinocero was popular 亞國立愛德華多·基歐索尼東方藝術博物館所藏一件元代銅鋪首長頸
during the Ming dynasty. Compare with a parcel-gilt bronze mirror 瓶，亦是採用深刀鏨刻裝飾，見D.Failla著，《Food for the Ancestors
stand decorated with rhinoceros in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Flowers for the Gods》，熱那亞，2017年，頁305，圖22.1。
London, illustrated by R.Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990,
p.101; and another example illustrated by Philip Hu,Ibid, pp.70-73. 明代犀牛形象常作獨角牛身，其形象可參考倫敦維多利亞及艾伯特
博物館藏一件局部鎏金犀牛望月鏡架，見柯玫瑰著，《Later Chinese
The rocky mountains and crashing waves on the present vase were a Bronzes》，倫敦，1990年，頁101；美國Robert E.Kresko藏一件明
popular design on the porcelain from the early to mid-Ming dynasty. 代銅犀牛望月鏡架亦可參考之，見Philip Hu著 ， 前書頁70-73。
Compare a blue and white tripod censer similarly decorated with sea
waves and mountains, Yongle period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 壺身所飾海水崖山在明代中早期瓷器上頗常見，可比較北京故宮藏一
illustrated by Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Ming 件明永樂青花海水江崖紋三足爐，見耿寶昌編，《故宮博物院藏明初
Chu Hinghua Ci (Early Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace 青花瓷》，北京，2003年，上冊，編號25；又可比較首都博物館藏一
Museum), Beijing, 2003, vol.1, no.25; see also a blue and white 件明代正統至天順時期之青花人物圖罐，見《灼爍重現：15世紀中期
'figural' jar, the interregnum period of the Ming dynasty, in the Capital 景德鎮瓷器特輯》，上海，2019年，編號229。壺頸及貫耳所飾連枝
Museum, illustrated in Lustre Revealed: Jingdezhen Porcelain Wares 番蓮紋則有永宣時期風格，可比較一件北京故宮藏明宣德青花纏枝蓮
in Mid Fifteenth Century China, Shanghai, 2019, no.229. The neck 紋高足杯所繪纏枝蓮紋，其佈局、形態與本件神似，見《故宮博物院
and the tubular handles of the present vase are skilfully cast with lotus 藏明初青花瓷》，下冊，編號167。
scrolls with the style of the Yongle and Xuande periods. Compare
a blue and white stem cup with similar lotus scrolls, Xuande, in the
Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Ming
Chu Hinghua Ci (Early Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace
Museum), Beijing, 2003, vol.2, no.167.

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