拍品 358
358
A KHORASSAN WHITE BRONZE JUG with slightly flattened spherical body and vertical cylindrical neck on short foot, plain save for a simple moulded band at each juncture, the associated handle rising from a palmette cast intergrally with the jug, curving over into the dragon-head terminal, 13th century (handle possibly associated)

細節
A KHORASSAN WHITE BRONZE JUG with slightly flattened spherical body and vertical cylindrical neck on short foot, plain save for a simple moulded band at each juncture, the associated handle rising from a palmette cast intergrally with the jug, curving over into the dragon-head terminal, 13th century (handle possibly associated)
5½in. (14cm.) high

拍品專文

In shape and aesthetic this piece seems at first similar to a number of well-known Timurid jugs, made of bronze or jade, all of which date from the 15th century. These usually have bulbous bodies, with short cylindrical necks. The bronze examples tend to have all-over decoration. One of their most marked features are S-shaped handles in the form of dragons. One of the earliest pieces of this group dating from AH 855/1451-2 AD was sold in these Rooms on 22 October 1992 (lot 162). In the present jug, the high tin content of the metal, the absence of any surface decoration, the lack of a band between the body and the neck, together with the casting of the palmette at the base of the handle all indicate a much earlier dating, indicating that this is an example of a prototype of a shape which achieved great popularity later.