QING DYNASTY

Of pear form rising to a slight flared cylindrical neck toppled with a domed cover decorated with a band of archaistic animals underneath a lopped finial, the bulbous body further adorned with a band of lappets, flanked by a pair of animal heads suspending a twisted handle.
This form of the vessel is modeled after archaic bronze prototype from the Western Zhou period (Fig.1). Compare with another vessel of similar form and decorative motif, illustrated Chinese Bronzes, London, 1980, pl. 52, pp.74-74 and another illustrated in Art & Imitation in China, the oriental ceramic society of Hong Kong, pl.30, p.143.

H 21.3 cm