- 3601
A RARE BRONZE-IMITATION ARCHAISTIC HANDLED VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG
Description
- porcelain
Condition
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
A slightly smaller Qianlong mark and period vase of this form, decorated with gilt and silver-painted geometric motifs, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 15, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 108; and a slightly larger vase, with a Jingweitang zhi ('Made for the Hall of Awesome Reverence') hall mark, is published in Qingdai ciqi shangjian [Appreciation of Qing dynasty porcelain], Shanghai, 1994, pl. 151.
The form of this vase is taken from an archaic bronze ritual lei vessel, while its animal handles derive from fou vessels of the Eastern Zhou period (770-256 BC); compare for example a bronze fou with handles cast in the form of an animal with its head sharply turned backwards, unearthed in Henan province, illustrated in Jenny So, Eastern Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 1995, pl. 34.2.