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AN INCISED GILT-BRONZE 'ANIMALS AND MYTHICAL BEASTS' WINE VESSEL, HU, WESTERN HAN DYNASTY
奥地利
2025年10月16日 开拍
拍品描述
China, 206 BC-8 AD. Finely cast, the pear-shaped body supported on a tall spreading foot with recessed base and rising to a waisted neck, the shoulder set with a pair of taotie mask handles. Boldly incised around the body with two friezes, the upper with paired winged and horned bixie and bixi with long tail and small carapace amid swirling clouds and the lower depicting tigers and leopards leaping across turbulent waters with birds in flight. The neck is similarly decorated with a narrow band of scroll, while the foot is encircled by two bands of addorsed stiff leaves.Provenance: From a private collection in London, United Kingdom.Condition: Superb condition, with expected ancient wear and casting irregularities. Signs of prolonged burial and weathering include deep encrustations, corrosion, surface scratches, and small nicks. The gilding is markedly well preserved. One nick to the foot from sample-taking, with associated fill. The bronze exhibits an exceptionally rich, naturally grown patina with distinct malachite encrustations.Material Analysis: The bronze alloy is composed of copper, tin, lead, and arsenic. The inclusions are primarily composed of calcium, silicon, and phosphorus. Corrosion products correspond to copper salts (oxides and chlorides) that have penetrated the material. Areas with elevated concentrations of tin were also observed. These findings are consistent with natural weathering of the object over time. The alloy composition—copper, tin, lead, and arsenic—is typical for Han dynasty bronzes, with lead improving castability and arsenic often present as a natural impurity. The inclusions of calcium, silicon, and phosphorus reflect long-term burial in mineral-rich soils. Corrosion products such as copper oxides and chlorides, along with elevated tin concentrations, are consistent with natural aging and decuprification. Altogether, these features are highly characteristic of ancient Han bronzes.Weight: 1,815 gDimensions: Height 22.3 cmThis rare hu vessel exemplifies the highly skilled gilding and incising techniques developed in the Han dynasty. Research on this special group of archaic bronzes with elaborate pictorial decoration incised after casting which were produced in Southern China during the Han dynasty is summarized by Fontein and Wu, Unearthing China's Past, Boston, 1973, pp. 118-124, with illustrations of examples in museums and American private collections as well as archaeological evidence from Chinese excavation reports. Related hu vases with elaborate decoration were found in tombs with inscriptions that showed they belonged to the Zhen (甄氏), a princely family from the Han dynasty. See Mancheng Han mu fajue baogao, 1980, Beijing, pp. 41 and 43.Literature comparison: Compare a closely related parcel-gilt and incised bronze hu decorated with dragons, 46 cm high, dated to the Western Han dynasty, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1927.315. Compare a closely related parcel-gilt bronze fanghu with taotie mask handles and incised animals, dated to the early Western Han dynasty, late 3rd-early 2nd century BC, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, record number BATEA : 244. Compare two related bronze vessels with similar incised decoration, illustrated and exhibited by J. J. Lally, Ancient Chinese Bronzes, New York, 19 March-9 April 2011, nos. 9 and 10.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby's New York, 17 September 2013, lot 26 Price: USD 149,000 or approx. EUR 176,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing : A very rare miniature silver and gilt-bronze tripod vessel (hu), Han dynasty Expert remark: Compare the related form, manner of casting, and decoration with similar incision work. Note the much smaller size (5.6 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby's New York, 23 March 2022, lot 249 Price: USD 63,000 or approx. EUR 60,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing : A rare incised gilt-bronze 'phoenix' vessel and cover (Bianhu), Han dynasty Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of casting, gilding, and decoration with similar incision work and taotie handles. Note the size (31.3 cm).

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拍品估价:5,000 - 10,000 欧元 起拍价格:5,000 欧元  买家佣金:

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