AN ARCHAISTIC BRONZE FOOD VESSEL AND COVER, DOU, TWO QIANLONG MARKS AND OF THE PERIOD

Expert’s note:
Not only are these bronze dou much rarer than their blue-glazed counterparts, it is extremely rare to find the vessel and matching cover still together.

China, 1736-1795. Heavily cast with a broad, cylindrical bowl raised on a spreading stem, decorated around the exterior with archaistic geometric motifs, C-scrolls, and undulating bands, the cover’s finial modeled as two entwined rope-twist loops. The rim of the foot and inside of the cover each cast with a six-character mark da Qing Qianlong nianzhi and of the period. The bronze with a fine, smooth, even patina.


Provenance:
From an old Swiss private collection. A noted French private collection, acquired from the above.

Condition:
Very good condition with minor old wear and casting irregularities, minuscule nicks to edges, occasional light scratches, all as expected and commensurate with age.

Weight: 3,499 g
Dimensions: Height 24.7 cm, Diameter 15.3 cm


The Qianlong Emperor issued an imperial decree regarding sacrificial vessels
in 1748,
just before the Winter Solstice sacrifice
that was scheduled to be held in the Temple of Heaven that year: “The Altar to Heaven main offering table dou [vessel] is blue porcelain...The handle on the top is like a twisted rope.” It is rare to find a bronze dou vessel from this period because the decree called for dou to be made of blue porcelain, which were used in sacrificial rituals for the rest of the Qing dynasty. Margaret Medley illustrates an example of a blue-glazed version together with illustrations of similar vessels in The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Ch'ing Dynasty in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, volume 31, 1957-59, pl. 39 a, c, and d.


Literature comparison:

Compare a related gilt-bronze dou vessel in the Palace Museum, Beijing, registration number 250113.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 16 September 2016, lot 1224
Price: USD 11,875 or approx.
EUR 13,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze cover for an archaistic vessel, dou, Qianlong six character cast seal mark and of the period, 1736-1795
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of casting, and reign mark. Note the lacking vessel.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 867
Price: USD 12,500 or approx.
EUR 13,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze archaistic food vessel, dou, Qianlong six character cast seal mark and of the period, 1736-1795
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of casting, and reign mark. Note the lacking cover.




乾隆款及年代仿古豆


中國，1736-1795 年。銅雕幾何紋豆，敞口，直壁，喇叭形高圈足，足牆處與豆内鑄刻“大清乾隆年製”六字篆款。豆蓋上延續豆身紋飾。整器銅色潤澤，古色古香，通體以鑄造結合剔刻刀修的手法裝飾仿古銅器紋飾，層次清晰，刀法古樸。


專家註釋：
這些青銅豆不僅比霽藍釉豆稀有得多，而且器物與配套蓋仍在一起的情況也極為罕見。


來源
：
瑞士私人舊藏；法國知名私人收藏，購自上述收藏。
品相：
狀況極好，有輕微的磨損和鑄造不規則，邊緣有微小刻痕和有輕微的劃痕。

重量：3,499 克
尺寸：高 24.7 厘米，直徑 15.3 厘米


文獻比較：


比較一件相近的鎏金銅，見北京故宮博物院，館藏編號 250113。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2016年9月16日，lot 1224
價格：USD 11,875（相當於今日
EUR 13,500
）
描述：清乾隆青銅萬字紋蓋六字楷書鑄款
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形，鑄造風格和年代款。請注意沒有杯僅有蓋。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2019年9月13日，lot 867
價格：USD 12,500（相當於今日
EUR 13,500
）
描述：清乾隆銅仿古豆單行六字篆書鑄款
專家評論：比較非常相的近外形，鑄造風格和年代款。請注意沒有蓋僅有杯。