A RARE MASSIVE SILVER-WIRE INLAID BRONZE 'CHILONG' VASE 17TH CENTURY

of impressive size, the pear-shaped body with a gently waisted neck rising to a galleried rim, flanked by opposing loop handles inlaid with classic scrolls and surmounted by chilong heads, the body finely inlaid with nine dragons, one spewing water from its mouth, the others contesting 'flaming pearls', all amid a ground of dense swirling clouds interspersed with bats, the shoulder overlaid with a writhing chilong grasping a long double-headed lingzhi sprig in its mouth, all between key-fret bands encircling the mouth and rim of the pedestal foot, the recessed base inlaid with a seal mark reading Xuande er nian Shisou zhizao (made by Shisou in the second year of Xuande), enclosed within a double rectangle and surrounded by a chilong grasping a long double-headed lingzhi sprig, wood stand (2)

Acquired in California in the 1950s and thence by descent.

The vase is in overall good condition. There is a slight dent to one side. There is a large original ovoid patch to the body beneath one handle that is of a slightly paler color. There are visible solder lines to the high relief dragons. The surface with expected wear and small nicks. The base is slightly uneven.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Most objects bearing Shisou marks are silver-wire inlaid and made for the scholar's desk, such as the example sold in these rooms, 21st March 2015, lot 752, and those illustrated in Robert D. Mowry, China's Renaissance in Bronze, Phoenix Art Museum, 1993, nos. 17 and 18; or religious images such as the Guanyin sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 1st June 2015, lot 816. Apart from a silver-inlaid standing figure of Guanyin (39 1/2  in., 100 cm) sold in New York in the selling exhibition, Footsteps of the Buddha: Masterworks from Across the Buddhist World, September 2014, no. 22, the present vase appears to be the largest of its type known.

Many of the silver inlaid bronzes with Shisou marks are traditionally dated to the sixteenth or seventeenth century, such as the four scholar’s objects in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, illustrated by Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, p. 64.

According to traditional sources, there was a late Ming dynasty monk who went by the name Shisou. His dates and actual name are unknown. However, because of the large number of vessels and figures bearing this name, which date from the 17th all the way through to the 20th century, it is likely that Shisou is more than one person. According to Rose Kerr, op. cit., p. 65, Shisou may be a trade mark used by a number of entrepreneurs coordinating the work of several makers.

Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss in Arts from the Scholar’s Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, no. 157, p. 178, believe that Shisou was a skilled late Ming dynasty metalsmith who rarely signed his works. They believe that in response to Shisou’s fame, his name was added to pieces made as early as the 17th century.

Sydney Moss in The Second Bronze Age: Later Chinese Metalwork, London, 1991, no. 12, feels that there are probably genuine Shisou marked pieces. He believes the practice of making a piece with a Shisou mark is akin to putting Xuande marks on bronze censers and Jingtai marks to cloisonné enameled pieces. It is homage to a golden age, and while there are genuine pieces, that number is extremely small.

The mark on the present example is therefore particularly noteworthy because it includes not only the name of Shisou, but also a Xuande date, as an homage to both to its fine inlay and superb casting.

The technique of inlaying bronze pieces with silver is labor intensive. The design to be inlaid first had to be chased on the surface of the bronze and the silver wire carefully fitted in before finishing. This accounts for the small size of most pieces, and the restriction of the decoration on figures to the borders of the garments. The surface of the present lot is almost entirely covered with fine wire work depicting nine dragons, reminiscent of the 1244 handscroll by Chen Rong, now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, of nine dragons in a misty landscape, a reference to the dynamic forces of nature in Daoism. The number nine, being a homophone for the word 'forever' is also considered auspicious. 

The shape of the vase is known from before the Xuande period, see a small 12th to 14th century example illustrated in Rose Kerr, op. cit. p.40, and chilong were a popular motif during the 16th and 17th centuries. The form and decoration on the present lot blend perfectly in this impressive work of craftsmanship and art.