A LARGE BRONZE STORAGE VESSEL AND COVER, FANGHU, HAN DYNASTY

A LARGE BRONZE STORAGE VESSEL AND COVER, FANGHU, HAN DYNASTY China, 206 BC to AD 220. The faceted pear-shaped body raised on a slightly spreading square foot and applied to opposing sides with taotie mask handles suspending loose rings, the square cover surmounted by three flat, S-shaped finials. Provenance: From a French private collection. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, corrosion, encrustations, casting flaws, losses, cracks, nicks, scratches. The bronze with a superb, naturally grown patina with scattered malachite encrustations. Weight: 3.7 kg Dimensions: Height 42.2 cm Literature comparison: Compare a related bronze fanghu, excavated at Shuihudi, Yunmeng, Hubei province, now in the Yunmeng County Museum, published in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji (‘Complete collection of Chinese archaic bronzes’), vol. 12, Beijing, 1998, pl. 9. Compare a related bronze fanghu in the collection of the Fujii Yurinkan, Kyoto, illustrated in Sueji Umehara, Nihon shucho Shina kodo seikwa (‘Select Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Japan’), vol. 6, Osaka, 1964, pl. 471. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 Sep 2014, lot 1008 Price: USD 9,375 or approx. EUR 11,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A bronze ritual wine vessel, Fanghu, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and manner of casting with similar S-shaped finials, patina, and identical size (42 cm).