A Silver and Gold Inlaid Bronze Vase, Hu Late Ming Dynasty

of archaistic hu form, the sumptuous globular body gently curving at the mouth, supported on a high splayed foot, flanked at the shoulder with a pair of ferocious taotie masks issuing loose ring handles, the body cast with alternating horizontal bands of inlaid gold and silver kui dragons amidst cloud-whorls, all set a dense design of overlapping wave elements, the deeply recessed base with raised criss-cross lines creating lozenze shapes and overwritten in cinnabar red with an inscription in regular script, the patina a mottled malachite-green in imitation of an archaic vessel, with additional skilfully incorporated elements including simulated mould lines

Although probably from the late Ming period, when significant numbers of archaistic vessels were produced, this unusual hu could date to an earlier period, possibly the Song dynasty, when such realistic copying of ancient vessels first became fashionable. Certainly, the quality of the current vase ranks above other late Ming examples.

For another gold and silver-inlaid bronze vase of hu form, cast with archaistic dragon handles, see the example from the J.T. Tai & Co. Collection, sold in our New York rooms, 22nd March 2011, lot 229.