Lot Essay
A much larger comparative example exists in the Brooklyn Museum illustrated in the Catalogue of the Avery Collection of Ancient Chinese Cloisonnes, cover and pp. 42-3, no. 42; and again in 'Orientations' July 1990, on the cover and two views on p. 33, fig. 6.
Cf. a similar though earlier champion vase illustrated in Chinese Cloisonne: The Pierre Uldry Collection, pl. 208; another example but with different beasts is illustrated in Chinese Cloisonne: The Clague Collection, pl. 39
The champion vase was conceived as a trophy, it dates back to the Han Dynasty and its shape based possibly on the quiver, for further discussion refer to Joan Hartman's 'The Champion Vase--History and Symbolism', Oriental Art, n.s. vol. XX, no. 4, 1974, pp. 414-24
Cf. a similar though earlier champion vase illustrated in Chinese Cloisonne: The Pierre Uldry Collection, pl. 208; another example but with different beasts is illustrated in Chinese Cloisonne: The Clague Collection, pl. 39
The champion vase was conceived as a trophy, it dates back to the Han Dynasty and its shape based possibly on the quiver, for further discussion refer to Joan Hartman's 'The Champion Vase--History and Symbolism', Oriental Art, n.s. vol. XX, no. 4, 1974, pp. 414-24