Lot 479. A bronze ritual water-pouring vessel, kundika, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 24cm (9 1/2in) high. Est: £1,000 - £1,500. Sold for £ 4,462 (€ 5,199). © Bonhams

Standing on a thin flared foot, the oviform body set on the sloping shoulder with a short lobed spout with cupped opening and hinged lid, all surmounted by a bowstring at the base of the tall waisted neck cast with a wide collar rising to a lobed section and tapered opening.

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2006, no.9.

Note: Called 'Kundika' after the Sanskrit term for a 'pure-water bottle', this type of vessel originated in India and became popular in China in the Tang dynasty for use during Buddhist ceremonies. It was filled through the side spout, which was closed by the hinged lid, with water being poured out through the top opening. Originally a bronze shape, this vessel was also produced in glazed stoneware during the Tang dynasty.

Compare with a bronze Kundika in the Idemitsu Museum, illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, pl.328. White-glazed stoneware examples of Kundikas are in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Ceramics, vol.4, Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, Beijing, 2013, pls.183-184.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021