Bronze with brown patina
China, 19th/20th century
Archaistic Hu shape
Rhomb-shaped base
Decoration in relief on an ornamental ground
Handles on side in the form of mythical creatures
Height: 28 cm
Good condition
Provenance: Private collection Spain
Bronze vase in archaic style with an unusual overall composition

This bronze vase was is crafted after the classic hu form and was made in the 19th/20th century China. The vase is carried by a diamond-shaped foot rim, on which the bulbous body ascends. The narrow neck is flanked on the sides by two handles in the form of mythical creatures and forms a stepped mouth. An archaized décor is visible on the ornamental ground and is worked in relief.



The bronze vase is in good condition with slight signs of age and use such as small scratches and nicks here and there. The height measures 28 cm.



Bronze Age

The Bronze Age in China began with the Shang Dynasty were elaborate objects, including many ritual vessels, were crafted. Shang bronze smiths usually worked in foundries outside the cities to make ritual vessels, and sometimes weapons and chariot fittings as well. The bronze vessels were receptacles for storing or serving various solids and liquids used in the performance of sacred ceremonies. The most popular shapes include the Hu, the Jue, the Ding and the very rare Zhi form. It is typical of the developed Shang style that all available space is decorated, most often with stylized forms of real and imaginary animals. The most common motif is the Taotie which shows a mythological being presented frontally on a horizontal plane to form a symmetrical design.

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