A BRONZE LOBED DOUBLE-GOURD-FORM VASE, KANGXI PERIOD China, 1662-1722. Finely cast, the lower section rising from the straight foot to the waisted mid-section supporting the pear-shaped upper section with a cylindrical neck. The base cast with an apocryphal six-character mark, da Ming Xuande nianzhi. Provenance: From a French private collection. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting flaws, minuscule nicks, small dents, and occasional light scratches. Weight: 1,092 g Dimensions: Height 20.7 cm The double gourd is an auspicious symbol, with a number of meanings. The gourd can be seen as a symbol of fertility, due to its numerous seeds. It was also hollowed out and used as a storage vessel, in particular for medicine, and thus became associated with the Daoist Immortal Li Tieguai, who used it to hold the medicine with which he offered healing to the sick. Expert's note: The vase with several meticulously inlaid miniature plaques of rectangular and circular shapes. These are either manufacturing-inherent and meant to cover casting flaws or have a ritual purpose, as sometimes found in Buddhist sculptures, such as the gilt bronze Vajrapani in the present catalog, lot no. 413. Auction result comparison: Compare a related bronze gu-form vase, also with an apocryphal Xuande mark, and also dated to the Kangxi period, at Sotheby's New York, in Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art on 16 September 2014, lot 581, sold for USD 10,000. 康熙銅葫蘆瓶 中國, 1662-1722年。鑄造精美，長頸葫蘆瓶，瓶身成蓮花瓣狀，圈足内鑄六字“大明宣德年製“。 來源：法國私人收藏 品相：狀況極好，有輕微的磨損和鑄造缺陷、微小的刻痕、小凹痕和局部輕微劃痕。 重量：1,092 克 尺寸：高 20.7 厘米 專家注釋：葫蘆瓶上精心鑲嵌了幾個長方形和圓形的微型牌匾。這些要麼是製造固有的，旨在掩蓋鑄造缺陷或具有儀式目的，比如可以佛教造像中發現，例如本目錄中的鎏金銅金剛手，Lot 413. 拍賣結果比較：比較一件銅觚瓶，有宣德款，也是康熙朝，見紐約蘇富比Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art 2014年9月16日lot 581, 售價USD 10,000。