A VERY LARGE AND RARE BRONZE 'BAGUA' ARROW OCTAGONAL VASE, TOUHU Yuan/Ming DynastyA VERY LARGE AND RARE BRONZE 'BAGUA' ARROW OCTAGONAL VASE, TOUHUYuan/Ming DynastyThe octagonal vase with a long neck flanked by four handles decorated with taotie masks reserved on leiwen ground, the neck cast with two chi-dragons writhing sinuously in high relief between two bands of archaistic kui dragon scrolls, above the Eight Trigrams on the shoulder, the body with alternate qilin and 'The Four Gentlemen' (four plants admired for their refined beauty, which represent each of the seasons: chrysanthemum for autumn, plum blossom for winter, the orchid for spring, and bamboo for summer), the spreading foot decorated with waves. 60.6cm (23 7/8in) high, 15.7kg.元/明 銅八方八卦獸紋投壺 Provenance:Gerard Hawthorn Ltd, London, 24 November 2006The Brian Harkins Collection來源：2006年11月24日購自倫敦古董商Gerard Hawthorn布萊恩·哈金斯珍藏The archaistic kui dragon scrolls (pankui wen) on the neck of the present vase were a popular decorative motif on archaistic bronze vessels produced during the Song and Yuan dynasties, whereas, it appeared to be rarely decorated on bronzes in the Ming dynasty. Compare the related design on the bronzes discussed in the footnotes of lot 2,3 and 4. The Eight Daoist Trigrams was a popular design during the Yuan dynasty. Compare a Longquan celadon cylindrical censer moulded with the Eight Trigrams, Yuan dynasty, illustrated in Zhongguo Chutu Ciqi Quanji (Complete Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China), Beijing, 2008, vol.9, pl.209.壺口、頸、身、足皆一體八面，頸部上下兩層各兩對貫耳，貫耳飾以饕餮紋，以雷紋為地，兩層貫耳之間飾仿古蟠夔紋，頸身兩側又攀附兩條螭龍，鏨刻龍鱗，雙龍昂首戲珠，肩部飾浮雕八卦紋一周，以蟠夔紋為地，平鼓腹，八邊起寶珠頂圍欄，腹部每面飾高浮雕麒麟、獅子、松竹梅蘭及鳥獸，束腰及圈足飾海水紋，銅質精實厚重。此壺蟠夔紋為南宋以來仿古青銅禮器常見紋飾，入明之後似乎再難見到類似蟠夔紋。可比較lot2、3、4腳註所列類似紋飾之宋元銅器。八卦紋在元代亦頗流行，可比較一件浙江出土之元代龍泉窯印花八卦紋奩式爐所飾八卦紋，見《中國出土瓷器全集》，北京，2008年，卷9，圖版209。