A fine Chinese archaistic bronze ritual wine vessel, yuan le...

Hammer

£1,000

A fine Chinese archaistic bronze ritual wine vessel, yuan lei, in the Yin period, late-Shang style - probably Ming dynasty (1368-1644), possibly earlier, the inside of the neck with an incised two character mark with an image of a creature beneath, of vase-like ovoid form with broad shoulder, short neck with two cast bowstring lines and a concave base with no foot, the shoulder with two C-shaped ears or handles of stylised buffalo head form, without rings, a third similar handle low down on the body and at right angles to the pair above, the shoulder decorated with six opposing stylised dragons with prominent bulging eyes on a ground of squared spirals, each pair divided by cast blades, above a groove and a shallow, similarly decorated band to the widest point of the body passing beneath the handles, the lower section decorated with nine large hanging blades, with mirrored images of stylised dragons, again on a squared spiral ground, the surface of the bronze with a variable, deep, dark brown-green patination throughout, with slight wear to the patination to the noses on the beast handles and heavier wear around the foot rim.
(27.5 cm high, 26.5 cm wide. Approx. 3.8 kg)
* A yuan lei vessel of very similar form and decoration, but with a cover and loose rings to the shoulder handles and six hanging blades to the lower body decoration, can be seen in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, bequest of Alfred F. Pillsbury (50.46.3a,b).

More Information

* Condition: The lei has a rich, deep patination throughout with just a few areas of wear to the raised edges on the handles and the eyes to the dragons on the shoulder. There is also heavier wear to the foot rim, showing the bright bronze beneath. The surface patination does vary across the piece, with some unevenness and texture to the patination particularly around the lower body. One side of the vessel has a notable level of deterioration to the detail of the decoration, particularly to the spiral ground, when compared to the opposing side. There is a shallow dent to the bronze just above the foot, directly in line with one of the shoulder handles. There is a probable very old patched repair to the bronze, near the top of one of the hanging blades on the lower part of the body - edges to the repair can be seen due to the bronze having a slightly different colouration to the patination (see photo).