Description Hu Archaic Ritual Libation Vessel
Cast bronze, blue green, in places also brown patina, malachite and rich azurite incrustations,
Below it, the original gilding is visible in large areas with a matt shimmer,
Height appx. 385 mm, diameter appx. 200 mm
Later Eastern Chou period (Warring States) 481-256 B.C.
Provenance: Sotheby’s London 1994, from an old English private collection, private collection Austria
This unusual, pear-shaped vessel with a flower or crown-shaped top displays four horizontal strings of bowstrings as decoration, with two curved handles in the form of horn-bearing dragons vaulting over the uppermost one.
The rings that were probably originally present are missing. On the spout is a flower-shaped attachment with line decoration. This attachment is used in Bo Gyllensw?rd, The First Floral Patterns on Chinese Bronzes, Stockholm 1962, No. 34, on pp. 29-47, and a Hu with a similar attachment is shown schematically.
A further comparative piece in the Royal Ontario Museum can be found in W. Thomas Chase, Ancient Chinese Bronze Art, Casting the precious Sacral Vessel, China House Gallery 1991, no. 25 on p. 62. In contrast to the piece presented here it bears on its outer wall a long inscription and fine relief, the flower-like attachment was worked in openwork.
RefEgy5320 RefChi5320