A LARGE BRONZE YEN YEN VASE
China, 17th - 18th century. The wideshouldered body surmounted by a tall trumpet neck, incised with a kuilong band and flanked by archaistic cloud handles above two raised fillets. The recessed base cast with a six-character Xuande seal mark.

Provenance: From the Karl Bethge Collection, before 1900. Thence by descent in the same family. Karl Bethge (1847 in Berlin - 1900 in Bangkok) was a German engineer, known for his work on the construction of several important railway lines in Asia, among them the Royal Railway of Siam.
Condition: Fine patina, some wear and traces of use, two dings to neck with associated stress lines.

Weight: 5.3 kilograms
Dimensions: 50.5 cm

The body with a raised border of stylized ruyi encircling the shoulder and a row of hemispheres above the foot.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related yen yen bronze vase at Sotheby’s New York on September 13th, 2017, in Important Chinese Art, lot 140.

大型青銅鳳尾雙耳尊
中國， 十七至十八世紀。敞口外撇，長頸丰肩，飾夔龍紋與如意雲紋，雙耳。底足宣德六字款。

來源：Karl Bethge 收藏, 1900年前，在同一家族保存至今。KarlBethge (1847 在柏林- 1900在曼谷)曾是一位德國工程師，以建造過幾條亞洲重要鐵路而聞名，其中包括暹羅皇家鐵路。
品相：細膩包漿，一些磨損和使用痕跡，頸部兩條壓力綫

重量：5.3 公斤
尺寸：50.5 厘米