Lot 201 , A rare and large Chinese archaic bronze ritual drinking vessel, Hu, Warring States period 5th-3rd century B.C., approx. 50cm high, repa

A rare and large Chinese archaic bronze ritual drinking vessel, Hu, Warring States period 5th-3rd century B.C., carved in relief with three registers of ancestral figure scenes of sacrifice, worship and hunting, taotie mask ring handles, brown patina with areas of malachite and cuprite encrustation, approx. 50cm high, repairs
Estimate £2,000-3,000


Literature:
see Jessica Rawson, Chinese Bronzes: Art and Ritual, British Museum Press, 1987, Fig. 28e with an illustration of a smaller bronze Hu vessel in the Palace Museum Beijing decorated with similar figure scenes.

A bronze fanghu (square wine vessel) decorated in the same style but with an inlay technique around the decoration is in the Rietberg Museum, accession no. RCH9A and is illustrated in the Museum Rietberg Zurich Museum Guide, Zurich, 2000, p. 75, fig. 59.

A fanghu of this type and style with pictorial decoration in flat relief restricted to three horizontal registers, now without any of the background inlay material remaining, in the National Palace Museum, is illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Shang and Chou Dynasty Bronze Wine Vessels, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1989, p. 217, plate 77. A third, smaller fanghu decorated in the same technique with silhouetted figures and animals in flat relief shown in various hunting scenes, also now lacking the inlay material which filled the background, in the Freer Gallery of Art, is illustrated by Lawton in Chinese Art of the Warring States Period, Change and Continuity 480-222 B.C., Washington D.C., 1982, p. 33, no. 5

The decoration is similar to scenes carved on to later Eastern Han dynasty stone tomb reliefs such as The Wu Family Ancestral Shrine found on the north of Wuzhai Mountain in Zhifang Township, Jiaxiang County of Shandong Province, China.

Provenance: the estate of the late Jean-Claude Jean-Claude (1926-2016).

Jean-Claude Lepileur was a man of great learning. Born in Lisieux in France, he became a buyer and seller of antiques and formed a partnership with Mrs Senta Christian in a joint antiques venture, travelling to and from England from their early base in Deauville in Normandy. Mr Lepileur was a self-taught historian, chemist and restorer, with a particular love of all things Asian, especially pieces of art from China. And more specifically ancient Chinese bronze artefacts, which he collected avidly all his life.

Mr Lepileur and Mrs Christian moved their business to Finchley in London in the 1950s and they continued to operate as a partnership until 1996, when Mrs Christian passed away. Jean-Claude had a very discerning eye for art and at one point even managed to identify two original Rembrandt sketches for sale on a stall on Portobello Market and was able to purchase them for a few pounds. They were later fully authenticated by the Victoria and Albert Museum. Mr Lepileur was also a frequent visitor to the British Museum in those days as he was always keen to compare his latest Chinese bronze acquisitions with those in the collection of the museum. During his life he amassed a collection of some eighty bronzes and a number of ceramics, pictures and scrolls. He also collected over 60 reference books, many of them very detailed, which he used to assist him with his research. Mr Lepileur was still buying and selling up until his death in December last year, aged 90.

The collection is presented complete, with no omissions and is a great tribute to his skill in identifying, researching and collecting some wonderful pieces of Chinese art.

Solder repairs to splits around the whole lower half of the vessel with some small holes and losses of patina around the area. A section of the rim has been repaired.


Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.

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