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Expert’s note
The vessel displays a number of remarkable features. Particularly noteworthy are the inlaid animals of the Chinese zodiac, several of which remain clearly visible, while further examples may still lie concealed beneath the extensive patina and encrustations. It is the author’s assumption that the vessel may originally have been decorated with all twelve animals of the zodiac, and that careful conservation could reveal additional figures.
Much of the gold inlay remains preserved, although substantial areas are obscured by an exceptionally rich and complex patina. This includes encrustations associated with the burial environment as well as pronounced deposits of cuprite, azurite, and malachite, corrosion products characteristic of ancient copper-based alloys, typically composed principally of copper with varying proportions of tin and lead and occasionally amounts of other elements. Particularly rare is the extraordinary diversity and preservation of these surfaces, producing a remarkably varied interplay of red, blue, and green tones, further heightened by the surviving gold decoration.
Of particular interest are the two taotie masks, which would originally have supported bronze or possibly gold rings. Close examination indicates that these are not merely gilded: the masks themselves appear to have been formed from gold sheet, applied to the bronze surface and secured into carefully prepared recesses. This unusually elaborate technique, together with the extensive gold inlays, the possible complete zodiac cycle, and the exceptional preservation of the naturally developed patina, considerably enhances the technical and artistic significance of the vessel.
China, 475 BC-8 AD. Heavily cast, the globular body is supported on a straight foot and rises to a gently flared neck with a broad circular mouth, fitted with a slightly domed cover surmounted by three animal-shaped lugs. The exterior is finely decorated in horizontal registers highlighted with gold inlays forming scrolling motifs around the body, while the neck is encircled by further bands of pointed leaves and animals of the Chinese zodiac, namely a pig, a dog, a goat, and an ox, all depicted in full stride. The shoulders are set on opposite sides with two small suspension loops in the form of thickly gilt taotie masks. The circular lid is cast separately with three mythical animals on top serving as handles. (2)
Provenance: From the private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York. Alan Hartman (1930-2023) was an influential American art dealer, who took over his parents’ antique business in Manhattan and established the legendary Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. His wife Simone (née Horowitz) already served as assistant manager of the New York gallery before the couple married in 1975, and together they built a renowned collection for over half a century and became noted art patrons, enriching the collections of important museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (which opened the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013) as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Alan Hartman has been described as the greatest antiques dealer of our generation, and was widely recognized as a world authority in Chinese jade, bronzes, and Asian works of art.
Condition: Good condition, with expected wear, casting irregularities, traces of weathering, areas of deep corrosion with associated flaking, a small loss to one of the animal-shaped lugs on the cover and few losses to the inlays, with minor touchups. The bronze exhibiting a rich, naturally grown patina, with extensive malachite, azurite, and cuprite encrustations.
Weight: 2.7 kg
Dimensions: Height 30.4 cm
Beginning in the Eastern Zhou period, bronze wine vessels such as the present lot changed from being solely solemn ritual objects into luxury products that exhibited their owner's wealth and status. The inlay on this pair of vessels was meticulously executed to form stylized clouds and geometric patterns, demonstrating exceptional craftsmanship and sophisticated, creative designs which reflected the fashion of the time. Underscoring this transition in bronze vessels as moving away from solemn ritual objects to objects of conspicuous consumption, is a hu from the Palace Museum, Beijing, Han dynasty which is cast in relief on its base with a nine-character inscription in seal script reading, 'happiness comes with drinking wine and eating'; see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Bronze Articles for Daily Use, Hong Kong, 2006, pp. 62-63, no. 54.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related inlaid bronze wine vessel with similar patina, dated Western Han dynasty, 30.9 cm high, formerly in the collection of Goro Sakamoto and now in the Nara National Museum, accession number 1317-218. Compare a related gold-inlaid bronze hu, dated to the Han dynasty, approx. 1-200 AD, 33.6 cm high, in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, object number B65B66. Compare a related gold- and silver-inlaid bronze hu, dated 6th-5th century BC, 43.6 cm high, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.318. Compare a related gilt-bronze hu of similar form, dated Han dynasty, 52.1 cm high, in the Harvard Art Museums, object number 1943.52.124.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 24 September 2021, lot 711
Price: USD 525,000 or approx. EUR 551,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A very rare copper-inlaid bronze jar, hu, Warring States period, 5th-early 4th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form, decoration, and motifs, albeit executed in copper inlay as opposed to the gold of the present lot. Note the similar size (33 cm).
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