2 septembre 2017

Hu-form vessel with cover, Western Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BCE, China, Henan or Shaanxi province. Earthenware with polychrome pigment. H x W x D (overall): 53 x 22.3 x 22.4 cm (20 7/8 x 8 3/4 x 8 13/16 in). The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler, RLS1997.48.1975a-b ©... [Lire la suite]

Covered Jar (Hu), Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9), 1st century B.C. Earthenware with painted decoration. H. 22 1/8 in. (56.2 cm); Diam. 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm); Diam. of rim: 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm); Diam. of foot: 8 in. (20.3 cm). Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Tang Gift, 1986; 1986.170a, b © 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  During the Warring States period (475–221 B.C.), jades, bronze, textiles, musical instruments, books and other luxuries were often placed in tombs to serve the needs of the deceased in the... [Lire la suite]

Hu, China, Western Han period (206 B.C. - A.D. 9). Ceramic and pigments, H-55.8 D-34 © Miho Museum The shape of hu vessels can be traced to bronze vessels of the Shang period (about 1600-1028 B.C.). During the late Eastern Zhou period (475-221 B.C.), the use of bronze vessels for ritual and everyday use declined, whereas lacquered hu vessels gained in popularity.1 But as lacquerware was extremely costly to create and then bury in tombs, in the Western Han period ceramic copies began to be produced for... [Lire la suite]

Lot 1101. A rare large painted pottery vase and cover, fanghu, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), 23 7/8 in. (60.5 cm.) high. Estimate USD 7,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised USD 22,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 The faceted pear-shaped body and tall tapering foot are decorated in red, white and blue pigments with sweeping cloud motifs interrupted by a pair of large taotie-mask handles highlighted in yellow on two sides. The neck is painted with a narrow band of cloud motifs below a band of pendent... [Lire la suite]

Lot 1116. A large 'proto-porcelain' jar, Warring States period, 4th-3rd century BC, 12 ¾ in. (32 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 4,000 - USD 6,000. Price realised USD 12,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 The compressed globular body is set with two loose ring handles on the sloping shoulder above two ribbed bands circulating the body. The exterior is covered with a mottled olive-toned glaze.  Provenance: Acquired in New York prior to 1999. Peter Scheinman (1932-2017) Collection, New York. The... [Lire la suite]

Sassanian Silver Gilt Plate with a Royal Hunt, 7th century C.E. Silver gilt, D. 20 cm. © Miho Museum This extraordinary example of silver craftsmanship depicts the theme of the Sasanian royal hunt in a distinctively decorative style, almost totally filling the circular field with pictorial elements. In this highly conservative genre, the central image is always that of a ruler engaged in hunting on foot or, more commonly, on horseback. Earlier royal hunting plates tend to be simple compositions featuring the king and one or more... [Lire la suite]

Sassanian Silver Gilt Plate with a Royal Prince Holding a Mare, 4th-5th century B.C.E. Silver gilt, D. 30 cm. © Miho Museum In the center of this large, imposing silver plate, there is a large figure of a man holding a mare, which nearly fills the plate. The crown on his head is ornamented with fluttering ribbons and a crescent. The man has wavy hair. The patterns on this plate are typical of Sasanian silver design, including the fluttering ribbons, the bead ornaments for the ear, the beard tied at the end, the rounded shoulder... [Lire la suite]

Sassanian Silver Gilt Plate Depicting a King Wrestling a Leopard, 5th-6th century C.E. Silver gilt, D. 21 cm. © Miho Museum

Sassanian Silver Gilt Plate Depicting a Royal Lion Hunt, 5th century C.E. Silver gilt, D. 23 cm. © Miho Museum

A Sassanian Silver Plate with Herakles and the Erymenthian Boar, 5th-7th century C.E. Silver partially gilt, Diam. 19.9 cm.; W. 500.53 grams. © The George Ortiz Collection, Geneva. Made from a disc of silver sheet hammered [1] into shape, leaving a thickened rim. The emplacement for the relief parts are outlined, grooved out, the background roughened. The relief elements are solid and prepared by hammering; once inserted the joins are annealed. The whole is touched up in the cold; the flowers punched in, the details of the feline's... [Lire la suite]