Lot 36 , A Chinese archaic bronze flask-shaped ritual wine vessel, Hu, Eastern Zhou dynasty, 5th-4th century B.C., 36.5cm high, hole to base and

A Chinese archaic bronze flask-shaped ritual wine vessel, Hu, Eastern Zhou dynasty, 5th-4th century B.C., cast in low relief with five bands of coiled interlocking dragons, surmounted by a bird-shaped cover linked by a two section chain to the curved handle, on a rope-twist foot, olive-brown patina with large patches of malachite encrustation, 36.5cm high, hole to base and loss to cover
Estimate £2,000-3,000


Literature:
A very similar bronze hu in the British Museum, London, accession no. 1973,0726.26 appears in Rawson, J, Chinese Bronzes: Art and Ritual, London/Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts of East Anglia / Burrell Collection, Glasgow, BMP, 1987.
Jessica Rawson describes this as 'A tall slender flask, circular in cross-section, this hu is sharply bent to one side, seemingly in imitation of a leather bottle. Three narrow registers are packed with tiny s-shaped dragons; such decoration is typical of the sixth century but probably persisted into the fifth century BC. A bird-shaped lid, with an articulated beak, is attached by a chain to a bowed handle.'

See also Zhixin Jason Sun, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Orientations, March 2015 in which a similar assymetric hu vessel with bird-shaped cover is illustrated. The author states:
An earlier hu, much more like a leather bottle, with a full body and tightly angled neck, was discovered in a tomb in Hubei Sui Xian Bajialou. It carried deeply curved chevrons. Later examples are decorated with a wide variety of motifs in several different techniques. During the Eastern Zhou ceramic, leather and lacquer shapes were rendered in bronze as bronze-casting spread geographically and as the use of bronze was extended from ritual to secular items'.

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.

The bird shaped a large section of its hinged upper beak. There is large hole with associated spilts which is dented inward to the lower part of the vessel. There a tiny occasional patch repairs and tiny holes. The ring fixings for the handle are pushed in slightly, the upper ring has detached on one side.


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.

Sold for £5,500