Page 86 - Bonhams May 2022 Arrow Vases

The present vase is exceptional firstly for its unusual Buddhist 壺十耳，長頸，口沿鏨刻一周幾何紋，並鑄四個嬰孩各捧一個中空鼓
stupa shape rising from a drum-shaped stand, and secondly for the 形耳，耳浮雕仰俯蓮瓣紋，頸部正中橫穿一孔，此耳兩端之下分別由
elaborate high relief design combining sixteen boys and four foreigners 二童子叉腰頂起，頸部地子鏨刻方形錦地，其上且浮鑄瓶花、元寶、
holding drum-shaped tubes, all further embellished with auspicious 如意雲頭等吉祥紋飾，肩部鑄四童子席地而坐，扭頭相望，壺身作寶
symbols. The number of boys, sixteen, may allude to the same 瓶狀，地子鏨刻方格錦地與頸同，上以淺鑄八寶紋飾，壺身腰部起蓮
number of luohans, a possibility reinforced by the Buddhist shape of 台，蓮台上坐六童子，各持樂器，身著錦繡背心，蓮台之下束腰，下
the vase. See a related bronze arrow vase cast with a pair of high-relief 承須彌台座，腰間前後鑄胡人捧鼓形耳各一，須彌座兩側亦鑄胡人捧
foreigners, 14th-15th century, in the British Museum, London, acc. 鼓穿孔各一，座身鏨刻花紋錦地，圈足外撇，足圈外壁鏨刻幾何錦
no.1993,1028.1. 地。

Since the early Ming dynasty the scene of boys at play became a 此壺用銅精實，頗為沉重。此壺形狀呈塔型，童子十六之數或意指十
popular theme adopted by the Imperial workshops, encapsulating the 六應真，四個胡人獻寶則有四海升平之意。其立體鑄造加之鏨刻地
wish for many offspring. The 'Hundred boys' motif originated in the 子，為典型明代中期以來流行風格。成化以降，百子圖為宮廷流行紋
folk arts of the Song dynasty and further gained popularity in the Ming 樣，或因成化帝幼年登極，與寵妃萬氏所生長子夭折之後多年無子，
Court; as the 17th century scholar Zhu Yizun (1629-1709) observed: 祈求多子所致。 百子圖發軔於兩宋，然後流行於明代皇室，清代朱彝
'The Hundred Boys and wucai dragons were treasured in the palace 尊有證：「百子圖者，龍紋五彩者，皆昔日皇居帝室所尚也。」見清
of the emperors of the old days'; see Z.Y.Zhu, Pushu tingji (The Essays 朱彝尊《曝書亭集》，《四部叢刊初編》本，上海，1919年，卷10，
by Pushu Ting), Shanghai, 1919, vol.10, p.7. 頁7。汪禔於《投壺儀節》中講解「投壺製法」道「近世有好事者又
有鞦韆壺之製，又有丈二壺之製，或二耳，或四耳」，王為明嘉靖時
Wang Ti, who was active during the Jiajing period, noted about the 人，由此可推斷多於兩耳之投壺，亦是在嘉靖前後出現。
production of arrow vases in his Touhu yijie (Rules of Playing Touhu):
'Some fancy craftsmen recently also created some unconventional 細查此壺童子造像及其衣衫風格，乃至銅質，皆與香港邦瀚斯2021年
forms of touhu, some can dangle like a swing, some are of 12月2日售出一件十六世紀銅百子圖方爐頗似，拍品編號92。香港閒
exaggerated size, some are with two handles, some even with four!'; 趣軒藏一件明代青銅高浮雕雲海螭龍胡人抱鈴投壺，其鏨刻地子及高
see Wang Ti, Touhu yijie, Beijing, 1985, p.40. 浮雕鑄造風格與本件同出一轍，見《日昇月騰：從敏求精舍看明代》
，香港，2015年，編號241，頁318。又可比較英國大英博物館藏一
The engraved ground-pattern and the casting in high relief can also be 件十三/十四世紀銅胡人投壺，館藏編號1993,1028.1。
compared with a bronze arrow vase with dragon motif from the Xianqu
Xuan collection, Hong Kong, which is illustrated in The Radiant Ming,
1368-1644 : Through The Min Chiu Society Collection, Hong Kong,
2015, no.241, p.318.

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