J.J. Lally & Co., Oriental Art / New York City, New York
MenuPast Exhibition
Bronze and Gold in Ancient China
March 24 - April 12, 2003
16.
A MINIATURE GOLD-INLAID BRONZE VASE (FANGHU)
Late Warring States Period/Early Western Han Dynasty, 3rd Century B.C.
of pear shape and square cross-section, inlaid in gold wire and gold sheet with a formal pattern of strapwork and scroll motifs on all four sides, interrupted by a pair of taotie masks with ribbed horns cast in high relief and covered with gold foil, with the remains of an iron ring retained inside the projecting loop of each mask, the high flaring foot also squared and inlaid in gold with diamond-lozenges, the mouth with a slightly flaring galleried lip decorated with the same border, the gold inlay all very well preserved and showing brilliantly against the rich dark brown patina of the bronze ground, with highlights of bright green corrosion widely scattered overall.
Height 2 3⁄8 inches (6 cm)
Compare the miniature bronze fanghu with inlaid gold decoration illustrated by Higuchi and Hayashi in Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Sakamoto Collection, Tokyo, 2002, p. 166, no. 253, now in the Nara National Museum.
