Imperial Ming Palace bronze flower Bowl

This very rare, elegant and heavy bronze flower bowl has its surface treated to have a beautiful dark brown chestnut color that is famous for Xuande bronzes. But it is not a typical early Ming bronze; rather it is a very rare hybrid of early cloisonné and traditional Ming bronze.   Two cloisonné bands decorate the mouth rim and the waist; a rare decoration style during early Ming; during later periods, cloisonné often covers the full copper/bronze body.  From esthetic point of view the cloisonné bands are in simple patterns and are of secondary importance; this style was common during early Ming. A mark of "San Si Tang" (三希堂)is on the center of the outer base, which is a Qianlong Emperor (乾隆皇帝) hall mark.   During Qianlong reign, he named a hall in the Yian Xin Deng (養心殿, a palace) San Xi Tang, meaning the Hall of three Treasures. He was able to collect the three most treasured Calligraphies of Wang Xi Zhi, Wang Xian Zhi, and Wang Xun (王羲之，王獻之, 王恂) of Jing Dynasty (265 - 420 AD). He stored these treasures (and other treasures) in this hall and called it San Xi Tang. Apparently this bronze bowl was among his collection and so marked.   A center piece with numerous sharp spikes is welded onto the inner bottom, apparently for holding flowers.
明代銅花插後加三希堂款. 三希堂是清宮養心殿的一部份，乾隆皇帝得到王羲之，王獻之及王恂的三稀有珍貴帖之後藏三帖此處而名此堂三希堂。是乾隆藏珍寶的地方。此花插可能是乾隆收藏而加刻三希堂款  

Size: 8.5 in. ( 21.59 cm.) Dia. x 6 in. ( 15.24 cm.) H

Weight: 1838 grams. 

Provenance: From Dr. Robert I-San Lin, a senior Chinese artwork appraiser, whose grandfather was a major Chinese antique dealer in early 1900s. (Dr. Lin's bio, in Journal of Authentication of Artworks, 2015, is available on request). Brought to California in 1960s.

http://www.karburys.com/lotdetail/1014

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