16th century The compressed globular body rising from a spreading foot to a flaring trumpet mouth, all supported on a gilt-bronze stepped base resting on three short legs in the form of mythical beasts, the body superbly enamelled with lotus blooms borne on delicate leafy scrolls between a band of ruyi petals and a band of chrysanthemum petals, the shoulder further set with three gilt-bronze mythical beast-head handles suspending loose rings, the waisted neck enamelled with four lions chasing brocade balls, the interior of the neck decorated with four sea horses striding above tempestuous waves, the foot with floral border, the base incised with a vishvavajra. 14.3cm (5 5/8in) high 注脚 十六世紀 銅胎掐絲琺瑯番蓮海馬獅戲紋三環尊 Provenance: Walter Tower Rosen (1876-1951) and Lucie Bigelow Rosen (1890-1968), US, acquired in the 1920s-1940s The Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, New York 來源： Walter Tower Rosen (1876-1951)及Lucie Bigelow Rosen（1890-1968）伉儷舊藏，購於1920至1940年代 紐約卡洛摩音樂藝術中心舊藏 The decorative motif of Buddhist lions in cloisonné enamel was popular in the Imperial court, as can be seen in extant vessels dating from the early to the late Ming dynasty; for examples in the Qing Court Collection, see Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 1, Beijing, 2011, nos.52, 68, 86, 91, 92 (bowl with lions and horses), 115, 141, 142, 143, 168, 169, and 176. Similar opulent gilt-bronze feet in the form of mythical beasts can be seen on a cloisonné enamel and gilt-bronze zun, late Ming dynasty, which is also similarly decorated with lions and a closely related lingzhi fungus band, see ibid., no.114. Compare also with a similar vessel in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, which is illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, no.6. And see also a very similar zhadou, mid 16th century, in Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris, illustrated by B.Quette, ed., Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, Paris, 2011, p.42, fig.3.19. 喇叭口，圓鼓腹，圈足外撇，口沿包銅鎏金，全身松石綠為地，頸部外壁掐絲填琺瑯飾四獅戲球，內壁飾四海馬騰浪追逐，腹部飾連枝番蓮紋，足包銅鎏金座，座承三獸，獸獅身雙角，毛髮捲曲，底部鏨刻羯磨金剛杵。 海馬紋及獅戲紋在明代內廷掐絲琺瑯器上出現的時間，可基本劃分為以景泰款琺瑯為上限、嘉靖款琺瑯為下限的明代中期。故宮博物院清宮舊藏一系列明代中期飾有海馬紋或者獅戲紋的掐絲琺瑯器，包括碗、尊、爐、盤等，見《故宮博物院藏品大系：琺瑯器編1》，北京，2011年，編號52,、68、86、91、92、115、141、142、143、168、169及176。此尊銅鎏金部件為清代宮廷所加嵌，尊本身則為十六世紀作品，見同著錄中一件明晚期掐絲琺瑯獅戲紋獸耳三環尊，亦有清宮後佩與本拍品一樣的銅鎏金獸形三足座，編號114。 台北故宮藏一件明代掐絲琺瑯夔龍紋尊，著錄於《明清琺瑯器展覽圖錄》，台北，1999年，編號6。另見巴黎裝飾藝術博物館藏有一件十六世紀中期之尊（書中稱為渣斗），紋飾形制與本件極似，見 B.Quette著，《Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties》，巴黎，2011年，頁42，圖3.19。