A LARGE BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL, HU, HAN DYNASTY
China, 206 BC-220 AD. Finely cast. The broad pear-shaped body raised on a pedestal foot with gently spreading sides below an indented waist, the sides encircled by three slightly raised bands and with a prominent pair of taotie masks suspending massive loose rings on the shoulder, the waisted neck rising to a slightly raised band below the rim. The interior with a distinct casting mark.


Provenance
: Michael Goedhuis, May 1993. A private collection in in France, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice, dated 10 May 1993, confirming the dating above, and stating a “special price” for the present lot of GBP 8,900 or approx.
EUR 28,000
(converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Michael Goedhuis trained as an economist, graduating with an MBA from the Courtauld Institute in Art History. He started a successful career in investment banking in New York and London, only to leave it in 1975 to pursue his passion for art. He joined Jacob Rothschild’s Colnaghi Oriental Gallery specializing in Persian, Mughal, and Islamic art. It was here that he published a catalog focused entirely on the subject of post-archaic East Asian bronzes, a first in the field, authored by Ulrich Hausmann in 1989. Major collections were curated and sold by Mr. Goedhuis to numerous institutions including The Rothschild Collection to the Shahbanu of Iran, and the Vever Collection to the Smithsonian Institution. He subsequently expanded his activities to India, Japan, and China, concentrating on important antiquities. Today, Mr. Goedhuis continues to exhibit around the world, including in New York and Maastricht.

Condition
: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected old wear, minor casting flaws, scratches, dents, soil encrustations, signs of weathering and corrosion. The bronze with a superb, naturally grown, rich patina with extensive malachite and cuprite encrustation.

Weight: 8,945 g
Dimensions: Height 44 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related hu, of similar shape and also with bands encircling the body, excavated in 1968 from the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng who was the king of Zhongshan from 154 BC and died in 113 BC in Mancheng, Hebei province, illustrated in Zhongguo Wenwu Jinghua Daguan, Qingtongjuan, Hong Kong, 1994, no. 1100, p. 306. Compare a related hu vessel, dated to the Han dynasty, illustrated by Jessica Rawson in The Bella and P.P. Chiu Collection of Ancient Chinese Bronzes, 1998, pl. 38.


Auction comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 March 2009, lot 217
Price: USD 13,750 or approx.
EUR 18,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large bronze ritual wine vessel, hu, Western Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare closely related form, manner of casting, and decoration with similar bands and mask handles. Note the size (47 cm).




漢代弦紋銅壺

中國，公元前206年至公元 220年。壺口外撇，頸微束，下方鏨刻變體蕉葉紋，溜肩，肩部兩側分鑄一對獸面紋銜環舖首，腹部下收，肩腹飾三匝凹弦紋，圈足高企而外撇，皮色暗沉古穆。


來源：
Michael Goedhuis，1993 年 5 月；法國私人收藏，購自上述機構。隨附原始發票副本，日期為 1993 年 5 月 10 日，確認上述日期，並註明當前拍品的“特別價格”為 8,900 英鎊或約 28,000 歐元（根據撰寫本文時的通貨膨脹情況進行換算和調整）。Michael Goedhuis 接受過經濟學培訓，畢業於考陶爾德藝術史學院，獲得 MBA 學位。他在紐約和倫敦的投資銀行開始職業生涯，但於 1975 年離開該行業去追求他對藝術的熱情。他加入了Jacob Rothschild 的Colnaghi Oriental Gallery藝廊，專門研究波斯、莫臥兒和伊斯蘭藝術。正是在這裡，他出版了一本完全關注後古代東亞青銅器主題的畫冊，這是該領域的第一本畫冊，由Ulrich Hausmann 於1989 年撰寫。Goedhuis 先生策劃並出售了主要藏品給包括Rothschild家族在內的眾多機構，以及伊朗 Shahbanu 收藏，史密森學會 Vever 收藏。 隨後，他將活動範圍擴大到印度、日本和中國，重點關注重要文物。如今，Goedhuis 先生繼續在世界各地舉辦展覽，包括紐約和馬斯特里赫特。

品相：
狀況極好，有磨損、輕微鑄造缺陷、劃痕、凹痕、污垢、風化和腐蝕跡象。精美的、自然包漿，帶有大量紅綠色結殼。

重量：8,945 克
尺寸：高 44 厘米


文獻比較:

比較一件非常相近的外型和帶狀裝飾壺，1968年出土於河北滿城縣漢代中山王劉勝（西元前154至113年），見《中國文物精華大觀・青銅卷》，香港，1994年，編號1100，頁306。比較一件相近的漢代壺，見Jessica Rawson，《The Bella and P.P. Chiu Collection of Ancient Chinese Bronzes》，1998年，頁38。


拍賣比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2009年3月18日，lot 217
價錢：USD 13,750（相當今日
EUR 18,000
）
描述：西漢青銅弦紋壺
專家註釋：比較非常相近的外形、鑄造風格，以及帶邊裝飾和輔面環。請注意尺寸 (47 厘米)。