A VERY RARE BRONZE ARROW VASE, TOUHU Yuan DynastyA VERY RARE BRONZE ARROW VASE, TOUHUYuan DynastyFinely cast with a compressed globular body rising from a spreading foot and surmounted by a tall cylindrical neck with a pair of tubular lug handles at the top, the body cast in relief with four auspicious beasts interspersed between fin-shaped flanges, the shoulders enclosed with a band of lappets enclosing honeycomb diaper ground, the tall neck cast in high relief with two sinuous dragons around the midsection of the neck above bow-string band and a register of huiwen ground. 35.5cm (14in) high, 3.1kg.元 銅螭龍紋雙貫耳投壺Provenance:Jeremy Mason, London, 22 November 1989The Brian Harkins Collection來源：1989年11月22日購於倫敦古董商Jeremy Mason布萊恩·哈金斯珍藏The present vase is impressively cast with the sinuous chi dragons in one piece, writhing across the neck of the vase with further carved detail. The depiction of the dragons stretching out their limbs, extending vertically along one side of the vessel is common on the porcelain of the Yuan and the early Ming dynasties. Compare with a reverse-decorated blue and white dish with similarly decorated dragons in the Ataka collection, Yuan, illustrated in Sekai tōji zenshū (Ceramic Art of the World), Tokyo, 1976, vol.13, p.108, pl.88. The band of lappets on the shoulder forming a quatrefoil pattern or shidi wen overall, and further dividing the pedals by foliage somewhat are in the shape of pagoda, which can be also widely found on porcelain in Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Compare with a blue and white 'peony' jar similarly decorated lotus petals near the foot in Shanghai Museum, Yuan dynasty, illustrated in Splendors in Smalt: Art of Yuan Blue and White Porcelain, Shanghai, 2012, no.8.壺口圓唇，兩側鑄貫耳，壺口及貫耳飾回紋錦地，壺頸分兩段，上段前後鑄浮雕螭龍紋，下段飾回紋錦地，肩部飾柿蒂紋，柿蒂邊線鉤連成蓮葉紋，柿蒂以回紋為地，圓鼓腹，出四鰭狀扉棱，每面正中鑄浮雕回首麒麟，束腰回紋地，圈足兩層。此壺螭龍不同於常見投壺所鑄螭龍，一般為立體分鑄之螭龍躬身纏繞壺身，此壺則為一體鑄造，再鏨刻出細節。此龍立身，前爪左右伸開，後爪上下奔開，此一形態在元代與明早期瓷器上多有描繪，參考一件日本安宅藏元代霽藍釉白花龍紋盤，其龍紋姿態與本件頗似，見《世界陶瓷全集》，東京，1976年，卷13，頁108，圖版88。肩部蓮葉紋亦是典型元代風格，元代青花瓷常見此類長身多層寶塔式蓮葉，一直沿用至明初，可參考上海博物館藏一件元代青花纏枝牡丹穿花卉紋獸耳罐底部裝飾之蓮瓣紋，見《幽藍神采：元代青花瓷器特集》，上海，2012年，編號8。