A RARE BRONZE MINIATURE GARLIC-HEAD VASE, SUANTOUHU, HAN DYNASTY
A RARE BRONZE MINIATURE GARLIC-HEAD VASE, SUANTOUHU, HAN DYNASTY
China, 202 BC-220 AD. Finely cast, the compressed globular body supported on a short spreading foot and rising to a long slender neck with three central bowstrings, widening to a lobed garlic-head mouth with a gently tapered rim.
Provenance: Dutch trade.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, losses, nicks, scratches. The bronze covered in a rich, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite encrustations.
Weight: 349.9 g
Dimensions: Height 12.5 cm
Bottles of this shape, used for cereal wine, became popular during the Warring States period and remained in fashion throughout the Han Dynasty, when the so-called 'garlic head' neck became less popular. Whilst they were prototypes for pottery vessels, the latter were not practical for everyday use due to the porosity of low-fired pottery.
Literature comparison:
An example of a garlic-head bronze vase in the standard size is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see image number K1A002216N000000000PAB.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 19 September 2006, lot 171
Price: USD 4,560 or approx. EUR 6,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A miniature gilt-decorated bronze hu and cover, Eastern Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related miniature size (10.1 cm), the hu form, the gilt, and manner of casting. Note that the lot also comprises a small bronze mirror.
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A RARE BRONZE MINIATURE GARLIC-HEAD VASE, SUANTOUHU, HAN DYNASTY
China, 202 BC-220 AD. Finely cast, the compressed globular body supported on a short spreading foot and rising to a long slender neck with three central bowstrings, widening to a lobed garlic-head mouth with a gently tapered rim.
Provenance: Dutch trade.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, losses, nicks, scratches. The bronze covered in a rich, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite encrustations.
Weight: 349.9 g
Dimensions: Height 12.5 cm
Bottles of this shape, used for cereal wine, became popular during the Warring States period and remained in fashion throughout the Han Dynasty, when the so-called 'garlic head' neck became less popular. Whilst they were prototypes for pottery vessels, the latter were not practical for everyday use due to the porosity of low-fired pottery.
Literature comparison:
An example of a garlic-head bronze vase in the standard size is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see image number K1A002216N000000000PAB.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 19 September 2006, lot 171
Price: USD 4,560 or approx. EUR 6,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A miniature gilt-decorated bronze hu and cover, Eastern Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related miniature size (10.1 cm), the hu form, the gilt, and manner of casting. Note that the lot also comprises a small bronze mirror.
