A BRONZE TRIPOD RITUAL VESSEL AND COVER, HE, LATE WARRING STATES TO WESTERN HAN PERIOD
China, 3rd-2nd century BC. Finely cast, the globular body raised on three tall cabriole legs and surmounted by a tall and gently flaring rim with a domed cover topped by a loop finial in the form of a bird’s head. The spout is cast as a phoenix with wings spread out and beak agape, the high arch handle in the form of a winged feline beast, all with neatly incised details.


Provenance:
Michael Goedhuis, September 1997. A French private collection, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice, dated 22 September 1997, confirming the dating above, and stating a purchase price for the present lot of USD 25,000 or approx.
EUR 43,500
(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. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, casting flaws, tiny losses, minor dents, light scratches. The bronze is covered in a rich, naturally grown patina with malachite encrustations.

Weight: 3,579 g
Dimensions: Height 26.4 cm, Diameter 25.5 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related earlier bronze he with a similar high arch handle in the form of a winged feline beast, dated to the Spring and Autumn period, at Sotheby’s New York, 31 March-5 April 2005, lot 154A.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 7 July 2003, lot 626
Price: HKD 113,525 or approx.
EUR 20,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze wine ewer and cover, he, Warring States period
Expert remark: Compare the related form with similar cabriole legs and the phoenix spout. Note the smaller size (22.8 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 9 October 2022, lot 189
Price: HKD 189,000 or approx.
EUR 22,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An archaic bronze ritual pouring vessel, he, Eastern Zhou dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related form with similar cabriole legs and the phoenix spout. Note the smaller size (23.3 cm).


Literature comparison:

Compare a related ritual vessel, he, 35.5 cm in diameter, dated to the 5th century BC, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.31a-b. Compare a related bronze ewer, he, 21 cm in diameter, dated to the 4th century BC, in the Art Institute of Chicago, accession number 1930.366. Compare a related ritual vessel with lid, he, 24.1 cm in diameter, dated late 5th to 4th century BC, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, accession number B60B103.




戰國晚期至西漢三足蓋爐

中國，公元前三至二世紀。爐身成球體，三只獸腿足，圓頂蓋，鳥頭形鈕。壺嘴為展翅張嘴的鳳凰，高執柄為帶翼神獸造型，細節生動。


來源：
英國倫敦Michael Goedhuis，1998 年；法國私人收藏，購自上述機構。隨附原始發票副本，日期為 1997 年 9 月 22 日，確認上述日期，並註明當前拍品的“特別價格”為 25,000美金或約 43,500 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：
狀況非常好，大面積磨損、風化和侵蝕跡象、結殼、鑄造缺陷、微小缺損、輕微凹痕、輕微劃痕。青銅器表面覆蓋著自然包漿，上面有綠色結殼。

重量：3,579 克
尺寸：高 26.4 厘米, 直徑25.5 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的春秋時代青銅盉，見紐約蘇富比，2005年3月31日-4月5日，lot 154A。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2003年7月7日，lot 626
價格：HKD 113,525（相當於今日
EUR 20,000
）
描述：戰國時期青銅盉
專家評論：比較相近的外形，具有類似的足外撇和鳳凰口。請注意尺寸較小(22.8厘米)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2022年10月9日，lot 189
價格：HKD 189,000（相當於今日
EUR 22,500
）
描述：東周青銅鳥首盉
專家評論：比較相近的外形，具有類似的足外撇和鳳凰口。請注意尺寸較小(23.3厘米)。


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的西元前五世紀青銅盉，直徑35.5厘米，收藏於史密森學會國立藝術博物館，館藏編號S1987.31a-b。比較一件相近的西元前四世紀青銅盉，直徑21厘米，收藏於芝加哥藝術機構，館藏編號1930.366。比較一件相近的西元前五世紀末四世紀青銅盉，直徑24.1厘米，收藏於舊金山亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號B60B103。