A RARE PARCEL-GILT BRONZE CIRCULAR INCENSE BOX AND COVERHu Wenming seal mark, 17th centuryThe circular box with an incurving inner rim supporting the domed cover cast and gilt with a flowering magnolia tree and blossoming plants, the box with lingzhi, bamboo and blossoming prunus, all on geometric-pattern grounds.8.2cm (3 1/4in) diam. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 胡文明製局部鎏金銅花卉紋蓋盒「胡文明製」篆書刻款Provenance: an English private collectionBonhams London, 4 November 2013, lot 513 (part lot)來源：英國私人舊藏倫敦邦瀚斯，2013年11月4日，拍品編號513（部分）See a related bronze incense box and cover, Hu Wenming mark, late Ming dynasty, illustrated by M.Maucuer, Bronzes de la Chine impériale des Song aux Qing, Paris, 2013, no.80. See also another example, illustrated by B.S.McElney, The Museum of East Asian Art Inaugural Exhibition: Volume 2, Chinese Metalwares and Decorative Arts, Bath, 1993, no.289.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
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A RARE BRONZE 'LOTUS' ALMS BOWL15th/16th centuryThe tapering rounded body delicately cast in relief with a continuous double register of lotus blooms borne on scrolling, leafy tendrils on a fine ring-punched ground.17.5cm (6 7/8in) diam.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十五/十六世紀 銅纏枝蓮紋缽For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE VASE, ZHADOU16th centuryThe vessel of compressed globular body rising to a wide trumpet mouth, applied with two sinuous chilong clambering over the body and neck and reaching over the rim, finely enamelled around the interior and exterior with lotus blooms borne on delicate leafy stems, separated by a lappet band to the neck and shoulder, the rim and foot decorated with bands of ruyi clouds, the base with a single lotus medallion, all on turquoise ground.13.5cm (5 2/8in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十六世紀 銅鎏金掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋盤螭龍渣斗For similar cloisonné enamel vessels with applied gilt-bronze dragons, mid Ming dynasty, see the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels, vol. 1, Beijing, 2011, nos.63 and 64.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAIR OF CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL PRICKET CANDLESTICKSLate Ming DynastyThe circular flaring feet rising to broad dish-shaped drip pans, cylindrical necks and detachable upper metal drip pans, decorated overall with polychrome lotus sprays issuing from trailing foliate stems, the prickets and bronze trays probably later.Overall 29cm (11 1/2in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明晚期 銅胎掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋燭台一對Compare with a related cloisonné enamel pricket candlestick, late Ming dynasty, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels, 1, Beijing, 2011, no.174. See also H.Trubner, et al., Asiatic Art in the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1973, no.140.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE BALUSTER VASE, MEIPINGLate Ming DynastyDensely and boldly decorated all over the exterior and on the short cylindrical neck with butterflies flying amongst meandering leafy blossoming and fruiting stems, above blue pierced rockwork along the foot, a five-pointed ruyi-lappet collar at the shoulder, the later base intaglio-cast with an apocryphal Qianlong four-character mark.31.5cm (12.3/8in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明晚期 銅胎掐絲琺瑯纏枝花卉紋梅瓶「乾隆年製」楷書鑄款Provenance: Ralph M.Chait, New York.Sotheby's New York, 15 March 2016, lot 182來源：紐約古董商Ralph M.Chait紐約蘇富比，2016年3月15日，拍品編號182For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY RARE AND LARGE ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL, FANGLEIShang DynastyOf rectangular section with high rounded shoulders, cast with eight large pendent triangular blades each enclosing a taotie mask above a small cicada and one with a central raised animal mask, each side with a broad band of further taotie divided by flanges against a leiwen ground below a band of domed whorls alternating with kui dragons, the shoulder cast with striding kui dragons on a leiwen ground flanking a high-relief bovine masks on the long sides and loop handles issuing from similar masks on the short sides, the straight neck with further pairs of confronted dragons divided by flanges, with a pictogram of a chariot and charioteers on the interior of the neck, Japanese box and cover.39cm (15 1/4in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價商 青銅饕餮紋方罍Provenance: a Japanese collection, acquired before the 1960sMasaki Art Museum, Tadaoka, JapanSotheby's New York, 11-12 September 2012, lot 101Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2013, no.2.來源：日本藏家舊藏，於二十世紀六十年代前入藏日本忠岡町正木美術館舊藏紐約蘇富比，2012年9月11-12日，拍品編號101展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2013年，編號2Fanglei existed as wine containers for only a short period during the late Shang to early Western Zhou dynasty, during which both highly decorated and plain fanglei were made and used side-by-side. Prior to the appearance of the lei, pou were used as wine containers. There was a short overlap of pou and lei and, by the late 12th century BC, pou had essentially disappeared.Together with other bronze vessels manufactured for holding food and wine, the fanglei formed part of the ritual paraphernalia employed during the performance of important sacrifices to the ancestors of the highest-ranking families of the time. Honoured and commemorated through the use of these precious vessels, the ancestral spirits were encouraged to confer blessings on their descendants; while at the same time, the use of the vessel displayed, to the living, the power and wealth of their deceased owner. The present vessel shares similar stylistic features with other published examples dating to the Shang and Zhou dynasties, namely large taotie masks on the lower body below either birds or dragons; dragons on the shoulder; and birds or dragons on the foot and neck; three handles, two on the shoulder and a third on one side of the lower body; and a mask on each side at the shoulder. The handles on the shoulders would have allowed the vessel to be carried or tied down with a cord, while a cord through the third handle would have held it secure as its contents were being poured out.For a similar archaic bronze wine vessel and cover, Shang dynasty, see Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang, Beijing, 1980, pl.32, figs.1 and 2; See another example illustrated by A.Juliano, Bronze, Clay and Stone: Chinese Art in the C.C.Wang Family Collection, Washington, 1988, no.2. Another example in the collection of the Nezu Art Museum, Tokyo, is illustrated by S.Mizuno, Bronzes and Jades of Ancient China, Tokyo, 1959, pls.62 and 63. See also a similar fanglei, with cover, Shang dynasty, said to be from Anyang, in the Museum fur Volkerkunde, Munich, illustrated by R.W.Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M.Sackler Collections, Cambridge MA, 1987, fig.139.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A LARGE PARCEL-GILT-LACQUERED BRONZE FIGURE OF GUANYINMing DynastyThe deity seated in dhayanasana with eyes downcast in a meditative expression, the head crowned with a tall tiara centred by a figure of Buddha, her long plaits falling over the shoulders, her right hand raised in abhaya mudra, with the left holding a cup in dhyana mudra, wearing long flowing robes falling in folds around the figure and decorated along the hems with a foliate scroll, the robes tied above the waist and open at the chest revealing a beaded necklace.35cm (13 3/4in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明 銅漆金觀音坐像For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A GILT-LACQUERED BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNIMing DynastySeated in dhayansana with his hands held in dhayana mudra, the head with eyes downcast in a meditative expression, crowned by the tight curls around the ushnisha flanked by pendulous earlobes, wearing long flowing robes revealing the chest.20.2cm (8in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明 銅漆金釋迦牟尼坐像For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE DOCUMENTARY GREY POTTERY RITUAL FOOD VESSEL AND COVER, DOUWestern Jin DynastyThe circular base rising to a tall cylindrical shaft with three tiers of ribbed bands, the spherical vessel with applied lug handles on both the domed cover and base section, impressed archaistic inscription cartouche.46.5cm (18 1/4in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價西晉 陶高足豆Provenance: J.T.Tai, New York, 1965Dr. Arthur M.Sackler (1913-1987)Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: 3500 Years of Chinese Art: Ceramics from the Arthur M.Sackler Collections, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1987.Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2010, no.21.來源：紐約古董商戴潤齋，1965年亞瑟·M.賽克勒博士（1913-1987年）舊藏展覽著錄：《3500 Years of Chinese Art: Ceramics from the Arthur M.Sackler Collections》，以色列博物館，耶路撒冷，1987年Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2010年，編號21The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no.C109q46 dated 12 May 2010, is consistent with the dating of this lot.Oxford Authentication Ltd公司熱釋光檢測結果（2010年5月12日，編號C109q46）顯示年代與本拍品年代一致。The first three characters of the inscription read Zuonan cheng (Zuonan city). Zuonan was founded by Sima Zhong (259-307 AD), the second emperor of the Jin dynasty (265-420 AD). It was situated in Gansu Province, in what was then Jinxing County.The shape of the vessel is clearly based on bronzes of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, see for example a similar archaic bronze dou, illustrated by J.So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M.Sackler Collections, New York, 1995, p.191, fig.27.1. However, ceramic vessels inspired by archaic bronzes were also popular in the Warring States period and thereafter. For a related pottery dou and cover, late Zhou dynasty, see The Charles B.Hoyt Collection, Boston, 1952, no.19.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A LARGE GILT-LACQUERED BRONZE FIGURE OF GUANYIN ON A LIONMing Dynasty Seated in the posture of royal ease on a recumbent horned mythical beast, its head turned upwards, with ferocious open-mouthed expression, the Bodhisattva wearing loose robes cast with floral borders, adorned with jewels and beaded chains on the chest, the hair pulled up in a tall top knot, falling in long tresses over the shoulders, wearing an elaborate crown with a small central figure of Amitabha Buddha, the base cast with a broad band of lotus petals within beaded borders.32.5cm (12 3/4in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明 銅鎏金獅吼觀音像For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF ZHENWU16th/17th centuryThe Daoist god cast seated on a faceted plinth raised on short curling legs, with a tortoise and snake at his bare feet, wearing over his armour long flowing robes adorned at the hems with foliate scrolls, with lotus decoration around his rotund belly, holding in his raised right hand his belt against his chest, with his left hand held in karana mudra, the bearded face with eyes downcast, the finely-incised hair flowing long at the back framed by a celestial scarf.33.8cm (13 1/4in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十六/十七世紀 銅真武大帝像The cult for the Daoist god Zhenwu may have originated during the Warring States period or Han dynasty, when he was referred to as Xuanwu (Dark Warrior). By the early Northern Song period, the deity was transformed into the anthropomorphic god known as the 'perfected warrior'. However, it was in the early Ming dynasty that Zhenwu's status was elevated to its highest influence and popularity. Compare with a related bronze figure of Zhenwu, 15th/16th century, illustrated by S.Little, Taoism and the Arts of China, Chicago, 2000, no.104.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
THREE BRONZE BUDDHIST AND DAOIST FIGURESMing DynastyThe figure of Zhenwu cast seated on a rectangular plinth raised on four supports with reticulated foliate scroll front corners, with a cylindrical joss-stick holder to the right of the deity, the god typically cast wearing armour and holding a sword in his right hand with his left hand raised, with eyes downcast and framed by an elaborate celestial scarf, 24.8cm (9 3/4in) high; the figure of Buddha cast seated in dhayanasana raised on a double-lotus pedestal, his right hand in bhumisparsa mudra and his left hand in dhyana mudra, the head with eyes downcast flanked by pendulous earlobes and crowned with tight curls, an incised inscription on the reverse of the pedestal, 18.2cm (7 3/16in) high; and a gilt-lacquered bronze figure of a seated official, Ming dynasty, wood stand, 28cm (11in) high.(4).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明 銅真武大帝坐像 及 銅釋迦牟尼坐像、銅漆金文官像 一組三件Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2012, no.10 (bronze figure of Zhenwu)展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2012年，編號10（真武大帝坐像）The inscription on the reverse of the Buddha can be partially read as: '進李氏...喜拾佛一尊...日慶', which may be translated as 'Presented to Mr Li, on the joyous day, one statue of Buddha.'For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAIR OF BRONZE FIGURES OF MALE ATTENDANTSMing DynastyEach boy standing wearing a belted flowing robe, the hands concealed beneath voluminous sleeves, and holding an incense burner, the face with jovial expressions and hair pulled up in twin top-knots, set on shaped square stands with ruyi feet.The tallest 16.5cm (6 1/2in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明 銅男侍像一對For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A BRONZE FIGURE OF A FEMALE IMMORTAL AND A BRONZE FIGURE OF SHOULAO17th/18th centuryThe lady dressed in elegant flowing robes, with a cloud collar and billowing scarf, the hands concealed beneath the sleeves, supporting a candle-holder, the head turned to the right with serene expression and hair falling in tresses about the shoulders, 17cm (6 3/4in); Shoulao, the God of Longevity, standing holding an open scroll before him, wood stand, 16.5cm (6 1/2in) high.(3).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七/十八世紀 銅仙人像 及 銅壽老像 各一For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BRONZE 'ELEPHANT' TRIPOD INCENSE BURNERMing DynastyOf cylindrical form, set on three elephant head feet and flanked by two large elephant-head handles, the base cast with a four-line inscription and Xuande date reading 'Made by Wu Bangzuo, Supervisor Ministry of Works, in the Fifth Year of Xuande of the Great Ming'.22.5cm (8 7/8in) wide.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明 銅寶象三足爐「大明宣德五年監督工部官臣吳邦佐造」楷書鑄款See a related bronze tripod cylindrical incense burner with elephant feet, late Ming/early Qing, Xuande mark, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 6 April 2016, lot 3681.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A BRONZE 'BAGUA' TRIPOD INCENSE BURNERIncised Hu Wenming four-character mark, 17th centuryOf cylindrical form, set on three beast-mask feet, the body cast with a central band of the bagua or 'Eight Trigrams', within borders of Buddhist and Daoist auspicious emblems. 9cm (3 1/2in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅八卦紋奩式爐「胡文明製」篆書刻款See a related example illustrated by Lin Pe-yu, Censers, Incense Burners and Hand Warmers: Wellington Wang Collection, Taipei, 2000, no.151; see another example illustrated by Liu Xirong, Zhong Ding Ming Xiang: Rong Zhai Xuan Lu Qing Shang, Beijing, 2010, pp.124–125.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PARCEL-GILT BRONZE TABLE SCREEN AND TWO BRONZE SCROLL-WEIGHTSThe screen cast with an Immortal with fierce face riding a Buddhist lion, possibly representing Zhong Kui, raised on cloud supports, 17th century, 17.8cm (7in) wide; the figure of Liuhai in typical animated stance, holding a string of cash about his shoulders, a gourd flask slung to the reverse and a mythical toad resting on his left knee, 17th/18th century, 8cm (3 1/8in) high; and a bronze weight modelled as a kneeling boy holding an ingot and a helmet in his raised right hand, a small boy clambering on his left shoulder, 17th/18th century, 7.6cm (3in) long.(5).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 局部鎏金銅鍾馗騎獅圖硯屏 及 十七/十八世紀 人物紙鎮两件For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
THREE BRONZE SCROLL WEIGHTS16th/17th century Two cast as Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, serenely seated on a recumbent elephant with long curling trunk; the third cast as a recumbent elephant, wood stand.The largest 6cm (2 1/4in) high. (4).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十六/十七世紀 銅觀音騎象兩件 及 銅臥象 一組三件For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A BRONZE 'MYTHICAL BEAST' WATER DROPPERMing DynastyThe beast with the body of a tortoise and cylindrical mouth opening at the back for water, the head extending out with bulging eyes beneath bushy brows and a long horn stretching down the mane, wood stand, 10.5cm (4 1/8in) long; together with a bronze quatrelobed stand, 17th/18th century, cast as writhing chilong above clouds, 14.5cm (5 3/4in) long.(3).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明 銅瑞獸硯滴 及 十七/十八世紀 螭龍紋銅器座 各一Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2011, no.5 (water dropper).展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《冬季展覽》，倫敦，2011年，編號5（硯滴）For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BRONZE HORSE-HARNESS FRONTLETChu KingdomCrisply cast with a mythical-beast head, with bulging eyes and flaring nostrils beneath stylised, angular horns, a long tongue issuing from the mouth, plastic stand. 26.8cm (10 1/2in) long. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價楚 青銅獸面當盧Provenance: an American private collectionPublished, Illustrated, and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2003, no.5. 來源：美國私人舊藏展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2003年，編號5Compare with a similar bronze horse-nose fitting, Western Zhou dynasty, illustrated by J.Rawson and E.Bunker, Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1990, pp.166-167, no.67.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE PAIR OF BRONZE HUMAN MASKSChu KingdomEach of the anthropomorphic fittings cast with large round bulging eyes below a strong brow and between stylised loop ears, all above a protruding round nose and grinning mouth, the dark patinated surface with patches of malachite encrustation, wood stand.6.5cm (2 1/2in) wide. (3).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價楚 青銅面具一對Provenance: Robert Hatfield Ellsworth (1929-2014), New YorkLouise Hawley Stone, Toronto (1903-1997) (label)來源：紐約安思遠（1929-2014）舊藏加拿大多倫多Louise Hawley Stone（1903-1997）舊藏（標籤）Louise Hawley Stone was involved with the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto over 50 years. She served as a Board member (1958 - 1972), and was a frequent donor to the collections. Her donations to just one collection, costume and textiles, made during her lifetime number approximately 1,000 and include Japanese country textiles, English embroidery, and Chinese Imperial Court costume.See a related example illustrated by D.Failla, Food for the Ancestors Flowers for the Gods: Transformations of Archaistic Bronzes in China and Japan, Genoa, 2017, p.42.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN ARCHAISTIC BRONZE GARLIC-MOUTH 'DRAGON' BOTTLE VASEXuande seal mark, 17th centuryThe heavily-cast vase supported on a high stepped spreading foot, rising to a compressed globular body and tall cylindrical neck with garlic-shaped mouth, a long scaly dragon coiled around the neck chasing a flaming pearl on the shoulder. 42cm (16 1/2in) high. Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅蟠龍蒜頭瓶「宣德」篆書款Compare with two related bronze bottle vases with dragons, 16th/17th century, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by R,Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, p.42, no.29.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BRONZE 'PRUNUS' BOTTLE VASEYong bao yong incised three-character mark, 17th/18th centuryOf compressed pear-shaped form rising to the tall neck with an everted flared rim, decorated in relief with a blossoming and budding prunus tree issuing from an undulating ground, raised on a spreading foot decorated with a continuous foliate scroll, the base incised with a three-character mark yong bao yong, which may be translated as 'Treasure and use forever'.24.2cm (9 1/2in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七/十八世紀 銅梅紋長頸瓶「永寶用」篆書刻款Provenance: Christie's London, 13 May 2008, lot 162Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2008, no.20來源：倫敦佳士得，2008年5月13日，拍品編號162展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《冬季展覽》，倫敦，2008年，編號20A similar but smaller example, 18th century, is illustrated by R.Mowry, China's Renaissance in Bronze: The Robert H.Clague Collection of Later Bronzes 1100-1900, pp.164-166, no.33. The motif of plum blossoms is typical of contemporaneous Kangxi ceramics; see for example, G.Neil, The Communion of Scholars: Chinese Art at Yale, New York, 1982, pp.84-85, no.36.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE 'TAOTIE MASK' HANDLESHan DynastyEach crisply cast with two short horns flanking a pointed cranium, large bulbous eyes and a loop from the mouth, the front surface with extensive gilding remaining, stand.Each 4.5cm (1 3/4in) wide. (3).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價漢 銅鎏金饕餮鋪首一對See a similar example illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, no. 419; see also another example illustrated in The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom: Special Exhibition Catalog of the Buddhist Bronzes from the Nitta Group Collection at the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, pl.191.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDAI17th centuryThe jovial figure seated holding a string of beads in his left hand, resting on his raised left knee, wearing voluminous loose flowing robes falling open at the front to reveal his large protruding belly, carved hongmu stand.12cm (4 3/4in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅布袋和尚像See a similar bronze figure of Budai, Ming dynasty, formerly in the Warren Cox collection, New York, illustrated by H.Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist Bronzes, New York, 1967, no.123.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A BRONZE FIGURE OF AN EMACIATED LUOHANWen nan two-character mark, 17th centuryThe figure seated with his left arm resting on rockwork and holding a scroll turning to his left, the voluminous robes open at the front to reveal the emaciated ribs and falling around him at the base, incised two-character mark to the reverse, carved hongmu wood stand.12cm (4 3/4in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅羅漢像「文南」篆書刻款This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN UNUSUAL BRONZE 'QIAO SISTERS' GROUP17th centuryGracefully cast with the sisters turning towards each other, wearing elegant flowing robes and scarves draped about their sleeves, 10.5cm (4.1/8in); together with a bronze figure of Guanyin, 17th century, modelled seated holding a scroll in the right hand, the hair in an elaborate high chignon emerging from a cowl, the robes falling in elaborate pleats, 11cm (4.3/8in) high.(2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅雙喬像 及 銅觀音像 各一Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2009, no.15 (Qiao sisters).展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《冬季展覽》，倫敦，2009年，編號15（銅雙喬像）The Qiao sisters became legendary in Chinese history for their beauty and for marrying two famous war heroes. They were the daughters of the official Qiao Xuan (109-83) of the late Han dynasty, with one marrying the warlord Sun Ce, and the other marrying Sun's close friend, General Zhou Yu.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BRONZE FIGURE OF A SHAMANZhou DynastyCast upright in the manner of a Sichuan pottery standing shaman with an unusual pointed ribbed hat, bare chest showing his ribs , and a simple cloth skirt, stand.7cm (2 3/4in) high (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價周 青銅人像Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2001, no.2展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2001年，編號2See a related bronze figure, Early Western Zhou dynasty, illustrated by J.Rawson and E.Bunker, Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, London, 1990, no.77; see another related bronze figure, Zhou dynasty, illustrated in Chinesische Kunst, Berlin, 1929, no.50.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE SILVER-INLAID BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, GUIQing wan silver-inlaid mark, 17th centuryThe rounded body rising to a flaring neck and everted rim, flanked by stylised archaistic animal-shaped handles, the neck finely inlaid with a band of alternating swastika and auspicious-emblem panels above a band of formal leaf lappets, silver-inlaid two-character mark to the base Qing wan (elegant object).19.5cm (7 5/8in) wide.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅嵌銀雙戟耳簋式爐嵌銀「清玩」篆書款Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2013, no.13展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2013年，編號13The present burner may have been inspired by an earlier shape produced during the Xuande reign, illustrated in the Xuande yiqi tupu. See also a related bronze incense burner, 17th century, in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, acc.no.29.100.547.A similar incense burner, 17th/18th century, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2014, lot 3304.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN ARCHAISTIC PARCEL-GILT BRONZE TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER, DING17th centuryThe rounded body cast in three lobed sections, surmounted by upright loop handles and supported on slightly-tapering column legs, cast in relief with three stylised taotie masks on a leiwen ground, with traces of gilt remaining on the legs. 24.6cm (9 5/8in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅局部鎏金饕餮紋鼎式爐See a similar archaistic parcel-gilt bronze tripod incense burner, Hu Wenming mark, 17th century, illustrated in Later Chinese Bronzes: The Saint Louis Art Museum and Robert E.Kresko Collections, Saint Louis, 2008, pp.56-57, no.9. See also a related incense burner, 17th/18th century, illustrated in Bronzes de la Chine imperiale des Song aux Qing, Paris, 2013, p.101, no.52For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN UNUSUAL BRONZE DRUM-SHAPED TRIPOD INCENSE BURNERXuande six-character mark, 17th centuryThe bombé drum-shaped body raised on three feet, with raised narrow bands around the base and rim, flanked by a pair of lion-mask ring handles, the external patina of warm honey tone, the base with the six-character mark within a rectangle.11.4cm (4 1/2in) wide.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅鎏金鼓形獸耳三足爐「大明宣德年製」楷書款For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE GILT-BRONZE BEAR-SHAPED SUPPORTHan DynastyThe hollow-cast bear crouching with both forepaws resting on the hips, the head with short muzzle, wide staring eyes and rounded ears, the upper part of the reverse cast open with a horizontal projection behind the head.4.5cm (1 3/4in) high. Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價漢 鎏金銅熊形擺件See a related example illustrated by T.Higuchi and M.Hayashi, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in The Sakamoto Collection, Tokyo, 2002, no.301; see also another example illustrated by J.Ayers, The Mount Trust Collection of Chinese Art, London, 1970, fig.12; and a pair excavated at Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, and now in the collection of the Xianyang Museum, illustrated by Wang Wenqing, Ten Major Museums of Shaanxi, Hong Kong, 1994, p.109.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A FINE GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE VASE, FANGHUXuande seal mark, 17th/18th centuryOf archaistic square baluster form, rising from the spreading foot decorated with a raised band to the flared rim, the waisted neck cast with a pair of archaistic lion-mask handles, with attractive reddish-brown patina embellished with numerous gold splashes extending over the rim and on the base around a Xuande seal mark.16.6cm (6 1/2in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七/十八世紀 銅灑金獸耳壺「宣德」篆書款The present is based on a vessel type whose simple but distinctive shape developed during the Warring States period and later became popular during the Western Han dynasty. While archaistic vessels with gilt-splashed decoration are known to have been made in considerable quantities during the late Ming period, few seem to be of the square fanghu form, such as the present lot. The 'gold-splash' decoration was achieved by 'fire-gilding', a technique involving the application of gold in the form of a mercury/gold amalgam. Subsequently the vessel was heated to drive off the mercury, so that the small amount of gold was left adhering to the base metal. The process could then be repeated several times to build up thicker layers of gold.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A FINE PARCEL-GILT SILVER-WIRE-INLAID BRONZE PEAR-SHAPED VASE17th centuryThe bulbous pear-shaped body and tall slender flaring neck raised on a slightly-spreading foot, the body with four lotus blossoms, between bands of highly-intricate stylised foliage on a ring-punched ground, the upper part of the neck with a key-fret border of inlaid silver. 23cm (9in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 局部鎏金銅嵌銀纏枝蓮紋膽瓶 The present lot is particularly finely cast, with formal lotus scrolls, brilliantly gilt in contrast to the dark delicately-stippled ground, offset by a more subtle silver-inlaid key-fret band beneath the gilt rim. The lotus blossoms are spread elegantly across the bulbous body of the vase, giving a grounded weight to the body in contrast to the lighter slender neck. Such detailed and expert workmanship is typical of the finest craftsmanship produced at the workshops of the late Ming metal workers who sometimes signed their work, such as Hu Wenming, Zhu Chenming and Wu Daolong and this strongly suggests that the present lot should be included within the canon of their work: see the discussion of the stylistic elements of Hu Wenming's work by U.Hausmann, 'Later Chinese Bronzes, In Search of Later Bronzes', published by Sydney Moss Ltd., Documentary Chinese Works of Art: In Scholars' Taste, London, 1983, pp.230-238. It is notable, however, that the present vase is of unusually large size, compared to the typically smaller items intended for scholarly use produced at these leading Ming workshops.The present lot is related to a smaller parcel-gilt vase illustrated by G.Tsang and H.Moss, Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, pp.240-241, no.230, and inscribed on the base 'Hu Wenming zuo'. Compare also a parcel-gilt box and cover with similar lotus to the present lot, signed Zhu Chenming and dated 16th/17th century, illustrated by R.Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, p.54, no.42. Hu Wenming (circa 1560-1620) from Yunjian (present-day Songjiang) in the vibrant cultural and economic hub known as Jiangnan, was one of the most celebrated late Ming metalworkers. The master and his workshop were particularly known for creating pieces with glittering gilt, intricate designs, and for the use of silver-wire inlay. The anonymous author of the Ming dynasty Yunjian zazhi (Yunjian Records) comments admiringly on the skill, elegance and desirability of Hu's work, and the high prices his pieces commanded; see R.Kerr, ibid., p.52.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE LARGE BRONZE 'LUOHAN AND ELEPHANT' INCENSE BURNER17th centuryThe luohan seated with a smiling expression, wearing voluminous robes open at the chest decorated with crane and cloud scroll motifs and pierced to the reverse as a smoke outlet, a scroll held in the crook of his left arm; the elephant with the head turned towards the back, wearing a saddle cloth with archaistic characters within sinuous dragon borders and elaborate beaded trappings to the body.44cm (17 1/4in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 騎象羅漢香薰The Luohan riding the elephant can be identified as Kalika, one of the Eighteen Arhats also known as the 'Elephant Riding Luohan' 騎象羅漢. Compare with a related bronze figure of Guanyin seated on an elephant, late Ming to Qing dynasty, illustrated in The Second Bronze Age: Later Chinese Metalwork, Hong Kong, 1991, no.7.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAINTED BRONZE 'ZHANG GUOLAO ON MULE' INCENSE BURNER AND COVER17th centuryThe vessel cast as a caparisoned mule with long pointed ears and a tail, standing with its head lowered, his back pierced to accommodate a detachable cover cast as a bearded scholar in a gown, holding a scroll in his hands, the vessel with partial red and blue pigments remaining.37cm (14 6in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅加彩張果老騎驢形香薰For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL SQUARE VASE, FANGHUIncised Jingtai six-character mark, 16th/17th centuryThe vessel of square section rising from a tall spreading foot to a waisted neck and flaring rim, the shoulder set with two applied gilt-bronze lion-mask ring handles, decorated in bright enamels with flowering branches of peony, prunus, camellia and grapes issuing from rockwork, all reserved on a turquoise ground between four galloping horses at the foot and pendent plantain leaves at the neck, the base incised with Jingtai apocryphal six-character mark.28cm (11in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十六/十七世紀 銅胎掐絲琺瑯花卉紋雙耳方壺「大明景泰年製」楷書刻款The present vase was inspired by a bronze prototype for ritual wine vessels employed to present offerings to the ancestors during the Zhou and Han dynasties. The decoration depicted on the vessel is highly auspicious: the peony, symbol of royalty and virtue, was also referred to as the 'flower of wealth and honour; blooming in the colder months, the prunus is symbolic of fortitude, while camellias underscore wishes for a happy marital union.Compare with a related cloisonné fanghu vase, 16th century, from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, 1999, no.22. Another related cloisonné fanghu vase, 16th century, was sold at Christie's London, 7 November 2006, lot 99.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A LARGE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE PEAR-SHAPED VASE, HULate Ming DynastyBoldly and brightly enamelled on a rich turquoise ground with a wide band of large lotus blooms borne on scrolling foliage issuing curling leaves in a continuous meander around the compressed central section, the tapering neck, lower part of the body and high spreading foot with three narrower lotus-meander bands, all divided by three narrow dark-blue-ground floral-meander bands.59cm (23 2/8in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明晚期 銅胎掐絲琺瑯番蓮紋壺Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2013, no.57.展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《冬季展覽》，倫敦，2013年，編號57Compare with a cloisonné enamel 'lotus' vase of similar design and form, 17th century, also without taotie-mask handles, illustrated in Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, pl.183.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAIR OF BRONZE 'ELEPHANT' VASES18th centuryModelled standing with the heads in mirror image, each caparisoned beast supporting a tall gu-shaped vase elaborately decorated with scrolling lotus sprays, sinuous coiled dragons and elephant-mask handles, the bodies draped in cloud-collar saddle cloths with lotus panels to the sides, adorned with elaborated jewelled trappings.28cm (11in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十八世紀 銅太平有像一對The elephant in China is one of the seven Buddhist Sacred Treasures and symbolises peace. The 'vase' (ping 瓶) which puns with 'peace' (ping 平), and elephant (xiang 象) which also means 'sign' or 'portent', forms a rebus for the phrase taiping youxiang (太平有象), meaning 'Where there is peace, there is an omen (or elephant)'. Therefore, pairs of elephants carrying vases became an important part of the Imperial throne regalia, as can be seen, for example, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Taihe Dian 太和殿 and the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yangxin Dian 養心; see Wan-go Weng and Yang Boda, The Palace Museum Peking: Treasures of the Forbidden City, London, 1982, pp.44-45 and 64-65.See also a very similar pair of bronze elephant vases, 18th century, illustrated in Later Chinese Bronzes: The Saint Louis Museum and Robert E. Kresko Collections, Saint Louis, 2008, p.147, no.30.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A large bronze 'luduan' incense burner and coverMing DynastyThe animated beast seated with the head turned to its left, hinged at the front, the open mouth revealing fanged jaws, the body well cast with scales and flame motifs, the upturned tail with six curls of hair extending upwards.40.5cm (16in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明 銅甪端形香薰For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT BRONZE 'CHILONG' TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER, DINGKangxiStanding on three short conical feet, the vessel decorated in bright enamels on the turquoise ground with confronting archaistic yellow dragons and lapis-blue mythical beasts among polychrome ruyi clouds, the rim set with two upright loop handles, the base with a delicate design of 'S'-scrolls encircled by a lotus-lappet band.15.9cm (6 1/4in) diam.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清康熙 銅胎掐絲琺瑯螭龍紋三足鼎Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2009, no.59.展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2009年，編號59See a cloisonné-enamel teapot and basin, both second half 17th century, with similar designs of chilong, illustrated by H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, nos.176 and 177.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE SIX-LOBED BOWL AND COVER, ZHADOULate Ming DynastyThe exterior densely decorated on the shallowly-domed cover, wide lobed horizontal flange and vertical side with stylised dark-blue dragons grasping yellow and green lingzhi in their mouths, the flange and side also with ruyi and Shou, the base flat. 13.5cm (5 2/8in) wide. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價明晚期 銅胎掐絲琺瑯盤龍紋折沿花口蓋盤For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN ARCHAISTIC BRONZE BEAKER VASE, GU17th centuryOf slender form, the lower and mid-section cast with taotie masks on key-fret grounds divided by notched flanges and bordered by bands of archaistic dragons, the upper section with four formal leaf lappets.30cm (11 3/4in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅仿古饕餮紋觚See a related example, illustrated by D.Failla, Food for the Ancestors Flowers for the Gods: Transformations of Archaistic Bronzes in China and Japan, Genoa, 2017, p.200, no.4.3.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, GUIFei yun ge mark, 17th centuryOf bombé-form, set on a gently spreading cylindrical foot with everted rim, the body flanked by two lion-mask handles, cast three-character seal mark to the base fei yun ge (pavilion of drifting clouds).18cm (7 1/8in) wide.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十七世紀 銅獸耳簋式爐「飛雲閣」篆書款See a related bronze incense burner with pierced cover, mid Qing dynasty, illustrated by Li Mijia, Xuan Copperware in the Collection of the Palace Museum: Classics of the Forbidden City, Beijing, 2020, no.77. See also another example illustrated by He Chaoyang, ed., Ming Qing Xuande Lu, Beijing, 2012, no.80.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A LARGE DOCUMENTARY IRON TEMPLE BELLDated by inscription to the 29th year of the Kangxi reign, corresponding to 1690 and of the periodOf domed form with a double-dragon-head suspension loop and undulating arched bottom rim, the top of the dome pierced with four evenly-spaced holes within a band of wave ground, the body engraved with a Buddhist blessing to the Guanyin temple and dated to the 12th month of 29th year of the Kangxi emperor's reign alongside various donors' names, between bands of twelve earthly branches and floral motifs.46cm (18 1/8in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清康熙二十九年 鐵鑄廟鐘See an iron bell in Fangshan cast in the 22nd year of Kangxi (1683), illustrated by Quan Jinyun, Series of the Gem of Beijing Cultural Relics: Ancient Bells, Beijing, 2000, no.104. See also a further bell dated 1701, illustrated by P.Lam ed., Archaeological Finds from the Five Dynasties to the Qing Periods in Guandong, Hong Kong, 1989, no.109, Hong Kong Museum of History. See also a Kangxi-period bronze example in the collection of the Ancient Bell Museum in the Dazhong Temple, Beijing, illustrated in La voix du dragon: Trésors archéologiques et art campanaire de la Chine ancienne, Paris, 2000, p.256, no.105.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TPTP Lot will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY RARE POTTERY MODEL OF AN ELEPHANTEarly Tang Dynasty Finely-modelled as an elephant standing foursquare with head held straight and curving trunk, covered overall with a white slip. 20cm (8in) long. Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價唐早期 陶象The existence of elephants in ancient China is attested by both archaeological evidence and their representation in Chinese art. They are mentioned in the Shijing, Liji and Zuozhuan. The state of Chu in 506 BC even used elephants in their war against the state of Wu. See a pottery model of an elephant, Neolithic period, Shijiahe culture, c.2400-2000 BC, illustrated by J.Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China: New Discoveries from the Early Dynasties, London, 1996, p.46. See also a bronze elephant and groom, Han dynasty, illustrated in Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties, New Haven and London, 2017, pp.168-169.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAINTED GREY POTTERY FLASK, BIANHU, AND A BURNISHED GREY POTTERY AMPHORA VASEHan Dynasty The bianhu imitating a bronze flask raised on a flared rectangular foot with faceted corners, each side moulded with a heart-shaped panel reserved on a red ground, with loop and ring handles on the shoulders, 30cm (11 7/8in) wide; the amphora relief moulded on each side with two spirals seeming to issue from the base of the broad strap handles carved with conjoined circular medallions, with a finely-hatched band on the faceted neck below the rim formed by an angular spout on either side, 17cm (6 2/8in) high.(2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價漢 灰陶扁壺 及灰陶雙耳罐 各一Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2005, no.24 (flask)展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2005年，編號24（扁壺）The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no.C104y75 dated 15 November 2004, is consistent with the dating of this lot. (flask)Oxford Authentication Ltd公司熱釋光檢測結果（2004年11月15日，編號C104y75）顯示年代與本拍品年代一致。（扁壺）Unusually-shaped burnished grey pottery amphora, such as the present lot, may have been a specific regional creation of the Qiang, a tribal people who probably came from the steppe but later also lived in the region of the Dian in southwest China. Vessels such as this, with lozenge-shaped mouths and twin flat handles have been discovered in present-day Sichuan and are known as Lifan ware, after the area in Sichuan Province where such jars have been found. A similar vessel, Han dynasty, probably from Sichuan, is in the British Museum (acc.no.1932,0216.1).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY RARE IMPERIAL CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE 'DOUBLE-LOZENGE' VASEQianlong Decorated in mirror image on the two main faces of the body with key-fret and C-scrolls panels on alternating dark-blue and lime-green grounds, the sides with lotus blooms and demi-florette panels on a turquoise ground, dividing a tapering square neck and spreading square foot. 19.5cm (7.5/8in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯雲雷紋方勝式小瓶Provenance: Christie's London, 15 July 1981, lot 55A European private collectionChristie's London, 9 November 2010, lot 221Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2011, no.68.來源：倫敦佳士得，1981年7月15日，拍品編號55歐洲私人舊藏倫敦佳士得，2010年11月9日，拍品編號221展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2011年，編號68Included as part of the Eight Treasures (八寶), the double-lozenge form may have derived from hanging accessories in the ancient past as part of the traditional attire. In Chinese the double lozenge is termed fangsheng (方勝), which uses the character sheng (勝), or 'victory'. It is thus a rebus for 'double blessings' or 'success'. Compare with a similar cloisonné enamel vase, mid Qing dynasty, of double-lozenge shape composed of key-fret borders, and part of a set, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 4, Beijing, 2011, p.164, pl.115.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A FINE ARCHAISTIC CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL BOTTLE VASEQianlong five-character mark and of the periodColourfully enamelled around the oviform body with two bands of stylised taotie masks, above and below a narrow band of 'C' scrolls, rising to a tall narrow neck with further 'C' scrolls and flower heads.12cm (4 3/4in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯仿古饕餮紋小瓶 「乾隆年製」、「能」楷書刻款Driven by the Qianlong emperor's call for inspiration to be sought from antiquity, decorative designs on various types of art and craft production increasingly imitated ancient bronze forms and patterns. This is demonstrated by the present vase with its brightly-enamelled archaic taotie masks. For related examples of archaic designs on Qianlong period cloisonné vessels, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pls.94 and 115.An additional character is occasionally found incised underneath the Qianlong four-character mark, as with the present lot, 'neng' (ability). The additional characters can be a single number between one and five; an auspicious invocation; or an apparent instruction to distinguish the use and category. However, some scholars have suggested that it could have been a way to number the large number of objects in a correct order; see H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, New York, 1989, pp.74-79.For a related cloisonné enamel vase, Qianlong mark and period, see B.Quette, Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p.291.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE ARCHAISTIC CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE BALUSTER VASEYongzheng/QianlongFinely enamelled below the well-rounded shoulder with an undulating band of concentric shades of blue on a pale green ground heightened with red, pink and yellow details, the shoulder with a key-fret band, the tapering neck and lower part with mirror bands of acanthus leaves dividing prunus blossom.18.5cm (7 1/4in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清雍正/乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯波曲紋瓶The archaistic motifs on the present reflects the archaistic scholarly trends of the 17th/18th centuries. The academic trend known as the 'search for evidence' (kaozheng 考證) movement began in the early 17th century. Although this movement originated in a renewed scholarly interest in ancient texts and inscriptions on archaic bronzes, as literati sought a more empirical approach to understanding their ancient heritage, it led to a greater fascination for decorative designs adopted from ancient bronzes too. Responding to this wave of archaism which would later be adopted by the Imperial court and Manchu emperors who wished to display their patronage of Han Chinese culture, artisans reproduced the motifs and patterns of ancient bronzes on their cloisonné enamel wares. the Xiqing gujian (Catalogue of the Xiqing Antiquities), provided abundant prototypes to the recreations of archaistic pieces such as the present lot.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN UNUSUAL BRONZE 'KNEELING ENTERTAINER' INCENSE BURNER AND COVER, BOSHANLUHan DynastyThe vessel comprising a pierced cover cast as a pierced mountain-peaks range shallowly decorated with wild animals and human figures and surmounted by a seated monkey, on a bowl raised aloft on the right arm of a crouching 'strong man' wearing a pointed hat, his face fully defined with bulging eyes, large nose and open mouth with his tongue stuck out.20.6 cm (8 1/8in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價漢 青銅人物博山爐Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2009, no.3展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2009年，編號3It is possible that the mountain range depicted on the cover of the present lot represents Mount Kunlun, residence of the 'Queen Mother of the West', or Penglai, the abode of Daoist Immortals. For a detailed discussion about boshanlu incense burners, see J.Rawson, 'Boshanlu: Mountain Censers of the Western Han Period: A Typological and Iconological Analysis', in Archives of Asian Art, vol.45, 1992, pp.6-28. Mountain-shaped incense burners dating to the Han dynasty and supported by human figures are much rarer then their simpler counterpart where the mountain-shaped cover is supported on a stem foot. A bronze example related to the present lot was excavated in 1968 from the tomb of Dou Wan, consort of Liu Sheng (d.113 BC), at Mancheng, Hebei Province, illustrated by J.Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China: New Discoveries from the Early Dynasties, pp.172-173, no.82. A closely-related example in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, is illustrated by K.Munakata, Sacred Mountains in Chinese Art, Chicago, 1991, p.72, no.17.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY FINE WHITE JADE VASEQianlong The flattened baluster vessel rising from a stepped foot to a tapering neck flanked by a pair of archaistic chilong handles below the splayed rim, the semi-translucent stone of even white colour with an icy vein.15cm (6in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清乾隆 白玉雙螭耳瓶Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 29 September 1992, lot 755 (part lot)Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2014, lot 3043來源：香港佳士得，1992年9月29日，拍品編號755（部分）香港蘇富比，2014年4月8日，拍品編號3043This superb vase derives its shape from an ancient bronze hu vessel, with the stylised dragon handles seemingly inspired by those found on Eastern Zhou bronze vessels. The Qianlong emperor proposed to 'restore ancient ways', referring to the view of ancient culture as having intrinsic moral qualities of sincerity, simplicity and happy exuberance. For this purpose the emperor instructed the Court to collect drawings of antiquities, such as the Xi Qing Gu Jian (Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities). Jade carvers were thus encouraged to move away from the 'new style' by studying archaic bronze vessels in the Qing Court Collection or in illustrated woodblock prints, and adapting them to the medium of jade; see Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50.Compare with a white jade vase, Qing dynasty of similar shape, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vo.10, Beijing, 2011, p.149.A related white jade vase displaying similar chilong handles, Qianlong, was sold at Sotheby's London, 18 November 1998, lot 923.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL AND COVER, DUIWarring States PeriodThe domed cover and rounded base completely interchangeable cast in mirror image, of plain hemispherical form, each applied with two plain loop handles at the rim and three upright handles/feet in the shape of standing stylised dragons.24cm (9 1/2in) high. (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價戰國 青銅敦Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2006, no.11. 展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《冬季展覽》，倫敦，2006年，編號11A very similar bronze dui, Warring States period, excavated from Tomb No.1 at Wangshan, Jiangling in 1965, and now in the collection of the Hubei Provincial Museum, is illustrated in Pre-Qin Civilization in the Jiangshan Region, Hong Kong, 1999, p.110, no.72. See another example illustrated by Kao Jen-chun, Masterworks of Chinese Bronzes in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1973, no.18; compare also with a similar dui, reportedly from Anhui Shou Xian Zhujiaji, 2nd half of 3rd century BC, illustrated by J.So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M.Sackler Collections, New York, 1995, p.69, fig.126.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN UNUSUAL GILT-BRONZE GROUP OF TWO FIGURES18th centuryPossibly depicting figures from an opera or popular novel, cast as a kneeling young scholar with cap, his right arm touching a standing taller figure with long flowing robes, the left hand holding a fly-whisk, all on a rocky base, sealed. 8.8cm (3 1/2in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價十八世紀 銅鎏金二人像For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE AND LARGE IMPERIAL-TRIBUTE PAINTED ENAMEL TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER AND COVER, DINGQianlong red enamel four-character mark and of the periodThe globular vessel raised on three bulbous feet, colourfully enamelled with a meandering foliate lotus scroll reserved on a pale blue ground rising to the rounded shoulder decorated with lotus-petal panels and cylindrical neck with bats alternating with lotus blossoms, below the wide rim with a composite floral scroll, flanked by a pair of similarly-enamelled S-shaped handles set with openwork gilt-copper cash-motif tubes, the elaborate domed cover decorated with a meandering foliate lotus scroll in openwork between a geometric border around the rim and ruyi-head, floral and rope-twist bands below the reticulated gilt-copper globular finial decorated with a coiled five-clawed dragon pursuing the flaming pearl amidst cloud-scrolls, wood stand.39.1cm (15 3/8in). (3).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清乾隆 銅胎畫琺瑯纏枝蓮紋雙耳三足蓋爐礬紅「乾隆年製」楷書款Provenance: a French private collectionChristie's London, 6 November 2018, lot 142來源：法國私人舊藏倫敦佳士得，2018年11月6日，拍品編號142The present painted enamel incense burner is an impressive example of Imperial-tribute ware made in Guangzhou for the Qing Court. Such an incense burner would have been the central element in a five-piece garniture, which would have included a pair of candlesticks and a pair of gu vases. For two complete garnitures, mid Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, see the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 5, Painted Enamels in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Beijing, 2011, nos.176 and 264. Compare also the similar openwork design on the cover of a painted enamel brazier and a pair of painted enamel incense holders, both mid Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated ibid., nos.254 and 255.The incense burner is of ding form, based on the shape of archaic bronze ritual vessels of the Shang dynasty, and as such reflects the Qianlong emperor's fascination with antiquity and his call for craftsman to take inspiration from forms and designs of antiquity.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
THREE ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL VESSELSWarring States/Han DynastyComprising a tripod vessel and cover, ding, cast with a pair of upright loop handles, supported on three waisted legs, the shallow domed cover cast with three evenly-spaced handles, 19.7cm (7 3/4in) wide; a tripod cooking vessel, jiaodou, with a dragon-head handle, 27cm (10 1/2in) long; and a cylindrical vase raised on three legs issuing from animal heads, the body set with a pair of taotie handles suspending loose rings, 25.5cm (10in) high.(4).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價戰國/漢 青銅禮器 一組三件See a soup-warming vessel with dragon-head handle, Six dynasties, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Travelling Exhibitions of the Palace Museum. The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China's Emperor, Beijing, 2016, no.150, where it is noted that: 'These bronze vessels were some of Emperor Qianlong's favourite treasures'; and a related example of the tripod vessel on the left, illustrated by B.Laufer, Chinese Pottery of the Han Dynasty, Leiden, 1962, pl.XX, fig.3; for an example related to the cylindrical base, see International Exhibition of Chinese Art, London, 1935, no.114.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN ARCHAISTIC PALE GREEN AND RUSSET JADE EWER, GONGQianlongThe well-proportioned vessel fashioned in the shape of an archaic bronze ewer gong standing on a high spreading foot, the bulbous mid-section finely carved with archaistic designs of taotie masks amidst ruyi heads and 'C' scrolls, the lower and upper sections with bands enclosing geometric roundels, the handle shaped as a mythical bird, the wide pinched pouring lip and foot decorated with key-fret borders, the stone of pale green tone marked by russet inclusions.16.3cm (6 1/2in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清乾隆 青白玉雕仿古饕餮紋觥Combining elegant forms with confident subtly-defined motifs, the present lot's unique shape stems from archaic bronze vessels employed in rituals aimed at worshipping the ancestors in ancient China. In particular, it appears to have been inspired by the archaic bronze vessel, gong. The Qianlong emperor proposed to 'restore ancient ways', referring to the view of ancient culture as having intrinsic qualities of sincerity, simplicity and happy exuberance. For this purpose the emperor instructed the Court to collect drawings of antiquities, such as the Xi Qing Gu Jian (Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities), which were in turn provided to the jade craftsmen for inspiration; see Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50.Compare with a related white jade gong, Qianlong, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades in the Palace Museum, vol.6, Shijiazhuang, 1991, no.37. A white jade gong vessel, Qianlong, was sold at Bonham's Hong Kong, 29 May 2018, lot 27.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE ARCHAISTIC CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE 'PHOENIX' SQUARE VASE, FANG GUYongzheng/QianlongThe central part enamelled on each face with an archaistic taotie mask separated by flanges down the centre and at the edges, the upper flaring section similarly enamelled with pairs of archaistic phoenix with pink heads and stylised green scrolling tails also separated by flanges, the spreading base with pendent plantain leaves.33cm (13in) high.Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清雍正/乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯仿古饕餮紋出戟方觚Provenance: Sotheby's Paris, 23 June 2016, lot 84來源：巴黎蘇富比，2016年6月23日，拍品編號84This cloisonné fang gu is exceptional for its refined and rare predominant design of double phoenix on each side, above triple bands of taotie masks and plantain leaves. For another example with a primary phoenix motif; see a cloisonné enamel incense burner, ding, Qianlong mark and period, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 2, Beijing, 2011, pl.201. Compare also a related but less refined and smaller cloisonné enamel fang gu, with phoenix on the neck and foot and taotie masks around the centre, 17th/18th century, illustrated by Sir H.Garner, Chinese and Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, London, 1962, pl.52.The form and design of the present lot are in line with the Qianlong emperor's wishes for craftsmen to take inspiration from antiquity, in order to 'restore the ancient ways', reinstating the intrinsic qualities of simplicity, sincerity and happy exuberance of the ancient cultures. For this purpose the emperor instructed the Court to collect drawings of antiquities, such as the 'Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities' (Xi Qing Gu Jian 西清古鑑), which served as sources of designs for the production of vessels. Compare three related archaistic cloisonné enamel and gilt-bronze vases, fang gu, Qianlong mark and of the period, illustrated in ibid., pls.143, 146-147.A related cloisonné enamel and gilt-bronze vase, gu, Qianlong mark and of the period, was sold at Christie's Paris, 7 June 2011, lot 208.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE AND CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL JARDINIÈRESQianlong Each vessel of rectangular section with canted corners, the rounded sides applied with rectangular panels depicting sprays of blossoming lotus amidst foliate scrolls, the gilt-bronze body decorated with incised designs of lotus scrolls below an everted rim incised with further lotus scrolls and key-fret, all supported on four ruyi feet, with original liners.Each 24.5 cm (9 6/8in) wide. (4).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清乾隆 銅鎏金開光掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋倭角花盆一對 Compare with a similar gilt-bronze jardinière inset with cloisonné panels, 18th century, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Enamels, vol.4, Beijing, 2011, pl.16; and see also a pair of similar jardinières in the Musée Chinois de Fontainebleau, Compiègne, illustrated in Le Musée Chinois de l'Impératrice Eugénie, Compiègne, 1994, pp.24-25.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAIR OF CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE SQUARE PRICKET CANDLESTICKSQianlong The spreading bases rising to the curved shallow drip-pans and columns below smaller drip-pans surmounted by prickets, decorated around the exterior in bright enamels on a turquoise ground with blossoming lotus and stylised florets interspersed amidst leafy foliate scrolls.40cm (15 3/4in) high (2).Footnotes:Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價清乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋方形燭台一對The present lot would have originally served as a part of a garniture set for ritual or ancestral altars. Compare with a related pair of cloisonné enamel candlesticks of square section, Qianlong, illustrated as part of a five-piece altar garniture by H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, New York, 1989, pl.267. A single cloisonné enamel candlestick, Qianlong four-character mark and of the period, displaying a similar treatment of interlacing lotus designs, but cylindrical in section, is illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels, vol.2, Beijing, 2011, p.368, no.296.See also similar pair of cloisonné enamel candlesticks, mid Qing dynasty, illustrated by Zhang Xin, Colorful, Elegant and Exquisite: A Special Exhibition of Imperial Enamel Ware from Mr.Robert Chang's Collection, Suzhou, 2007, pp.88–89; and compare a related pair of cloisonné enamel candlesticks, 18th century, illustrated by C.Brown, Chinese Cloisonné: The Clague Collection, Phoenix, 1980, pl.57.Compare with a related pair of cloisonné enamel candlesticks of square section, Qianlong, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 7 November 2019, lot 200.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
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