A PAIR OF CHINESE BRONZE VASES.Ming Dynasty.Each of pear shaped form, on a spreading foot and rising to a flared rim, the waisted neck decorated with rounded studs decorated in whorl circles, between two narrow raised ribs, the ribs enclosed by open ruyi head handles suspending rings. (2)27cm H.2.3kg. 2.6kg.Provenance: Formally in an English private collection.明 銅如意耳雙活環耳對瓶 The form of the present pair of vases apparently emerged in the early Ming Dynasty. A gilt bronze version of this vase, with Xuande mark, and apparently of the period, as verified by local gazettes and contemporary stone stele, was Imperially commissioned for the Quran Monastery in Qinghai province, see Cultural Relics of Hehuang, 2012, p 234. Vases of this form are also present at the Imperial court and one is clearly visible in the photograph of the inner room of the Forbidden City published in Architecture of the Forbidden City, Classics of Forbidden City, 2007. Furthermore, the form of vase formed a model for the Imperial ceramic workshops of the 16th Century who also added surface decoration to their output. An example of similarly formed vases, but with dragon designs to the body, with Jiajing mark and of the period, can be found in the collection of the British Museum, Jessica Harrison Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, 2001, cat no 9:57 and 9:58.