A CHINESE GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE VASE

A CHINESE GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE VASE
17TH/18TH CENTURY

The tall baluster body with a warm brown patina decorated with irregular gold splashes, the shoulder applied with two animal-mask loop handles above a band enclosing two taotie masks and cicada-shaped lappets on a leiwen ground, with a six-character Xuande mark to the base, with a paper label for the Finer Collection 'CB 72', 1.8kg, 27.3cm.

Cf. The Oriental Art Gallery Limited, 1992 no.54 for a very similar example

The origin of gold-splashed decorations on Chinese bronzes remains uncertain. G Tsang and H Moss, in their book Arts from the Scholar's Studio, p.184, suggest that this decorative technique may have gained popularity due to the influence of Xuande bronzes from the Ming dynasty, where the gold splashes resulted from the vessel's uneven surface patination.

十七/十八世紀 銅灑金雙耳瓶
《大明宣德年製》

From the Finer Collection of later bronzes and hand warmers.