Lot 2029. An unusual gilt-bronze gourd-form vessel, Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 24); 12 7/8 in. (32.7 cm.) high. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. Price Realized USD 12,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2014. 

The pouring vessel is cast in the form of a gourd with bulbous body and curved neck encircled by a raised band that has a collared aperture on top and terminates in a lobed end decorated with silver-colored triangles. A small loop in the center of the base is encircled by the foot ring. There is extensive blue-green encrustation.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 17 December 1996, lot 167.

Note: A similar Han dynasty bronze gourd-form vessel with a curved neck, but lacking the silver-embellishment on the lobed end, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 28 - Bronze Articles for Daily Use, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 67, no. 58.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 20 - 21 March 2014