A BRONZE ARCHAISTIC ARROW VASE, TOUHU, SONG TO YUAN DYNASTYChina, late 12th to 13th century. Of slender pear shape with long neck, rising from a flaring foot to a straight cylindrical rim flanked by a pair of tubular handles, the handles and neck decorated with a band of leiwen, the design repeated at the foot. With a naturally grown, fine brownish-black patina overall.Provenance: Collection of Arnold Vissière, Paris, France, thence by descent in the same family. Arnold Vissière (1858-1930) was a French sinologist born in Paris and one of the creators of the French School of the Far East system. He worked as an interpreter at the French legation in Beijing and became a professor at the École des Langues Orientales Vivantes in 1911. Later, Vissière was appointed Consul General in Shanghai and then Minister Plenipotentiary in China. He also worked at the National Library on the catalog of Chinese books. Vissière collected Chinese art including Chinese maps, some of which are exhibited in the Musée Guimet.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few nicks, small dents, light scratches, small cracks with associated minor losses, and casting flaws.Weight: 691.1 gDimensions: Height 26.8 cmLiteratureparison:Compare a related bronze arrow vase, 21.6 cm, also dated Song to Yuan dynasty, late 12th to 13th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2021.294.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 11 June 2021, lot 3192Price: HKD 75,000 or approx.EUR 9,100 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A bronze ‘wave’ two-handled tool arrow vase, Yuan dynastyExpert remark:pare the related form and decoration. Note the much smaller size (17.9 cm).宋至元仿古銅投壺中國，十二世紀末至十三世紀。修長的梨形，長頸，圈足外撇，頸部雙貫耳。貫耳和頸部飾有雷紋紋飾帶，圈足處重複。整體細膩棕黑色包漿。