A RARE BRONZE ARROW VASE, TOUHU Song/Yuan DynastyA RARE BRONZE ARROW VASE, TOUHUSong/Yuan DynastyThe compressed globular body cast with a pair of mythical beast masks, pushou, suspending loose ring-handles, flanked on each side by flanges, all reserved on a tumbling wave and clouds ground, the shoulders decorated with a floral honeycomb ground, the tall neck cast around the mid-section with high-relief chi dragons between a key-fret border and a floral honeycomb ground, the top section flanked by a pair of lug-handles and decorated with cross-hatched and honeycomb diaper grounds, all raised on a spreading foot cast with key-fret patterns and on the flaring section with clouds and a character indicating the Sun, 'ri'. 45.2cm (17 3/4in) high, 5.9kg.宋/元 銅仿古紋獸耳投壺Provenance:The Brian Harkins Collection來源：布萊恩·哈金斯珍藏The character 日 ri in a circle on the foot symbolises the sun. The sun flanked by clouds indicates that this is the rising sun, which brings a new day and good fortune. The act of aiming at the sun and throwing an arrow into the vase, could be a pun for zhiri gaozhong (指日高中), literally, 'wining the first rank in the Imperial examinations soon'. The diaper-pattern grounds on the present vase are related to those found on Yuan dynasty bronze vases, such as the ones illustrated by D.Failla, Food for the Ancestors, Flowers for the Gods, 2017, p.286, figs.6 and 7. For additional examples, Yuan dynasty, in the British Museum, London, see acc.nos.:1989,0523.1-2. The 'line' style decoration evident on the body and around the foot, are also related to that seen on bronze basins of the Song and Western Xia dynasties. Compare with several basins in the Henri Cernuschi collection, Song or Western Xia, illustrated by M.Maucuer, Bronzes de la Chine Impérialedes Song aux Qing, Paris, 2013, pl.93-96. 壺口方唇，口沿兩側鑄貫耳，壺口以下飾菱花錦地，再下則飾回紋一周，貫耳飾龜背紋錦地，壺頸正中分鑄螭龍兩條，龍大頭鼓腹，長尾不分叉，壺頸下段及肩部飾龜背紋，四出戟，兩側鑄獅首銜環，每面飾細線陽紋雲水紋，束腰分四面，每面飾細線陽紋雲水紋，惟一面正中鑄一「日」字，高圈足，足圈飾回紋一周。足圈所飾日字，加之兩邊雲彩，意即旭日初升。投箭入此壺，便有指日高中之意。 此類錦地紋飾廣見於元代銅壺，參考數件意大利熱那亞國立愛德華多·基歐索尼東方藝術博物館藏元代銅壺，見D.Failla，《Food for the Ancestors Flowers for the Gods》，熱那亞，2017年，頁286，圖6及7；以及大英博物館藏一件元代銅壺，館藏編號1989,0523.1-2。其細紋陽線可參考數件巴黎賽奴奇亞洲博物館藏宋代及西夏銅盆，其紋飾便如此件皆以細線陽紋勾勒，見M.Maucuer著，《Bronzes de la Chine Impérialedes Song aux Qing》，巴黎，2013年，圖版93-96。