Gold and silver-inlaid he spouted ewer with loop handle, Southern Song to Ming dynasty, 12th-17th century-China Archive

Image Number: C1A000724N000000000PAB
Dynasty: Southern Song dynasty
Category: Bronzes
Function: Furnisher
Material: Mineral/Metal/Bronze
Description:
The carina, round mouth, straight neck, one side of the abdomen with flow, flat round abdomen with external drum, and flat bottom connecting with three feet. The cover button is in the shape of a monkey sitting with hands clasped, the lifting beam is in the shape of a beast, the two ends of the beam are animal heads and hind limbs, and the beam body is coiled with hollow coiled cobra patterns. The curved neck flows like a bird’s head, the wings extend to the abdominal wall, and the arms and feet act as monkeys and birds. The abdominal wall is bounded by two circles of broad band patterns, which are filled with fine coiled cobra like patterns with convex spots. The basic shape of this device is imitated from the bronze He of the Warring States Period, and it is well forged. The prototype may be from the 59 “Zhou Chi Liang He” on page 31 of the Ancient Classic of Western Qing Dynasty. However, this instrument is huge in size, and its partial ornamentation uses inlaid gold and silver to outline animal scales, triangular patterns, cloud patterns, etc., to show color contrast and layers, and its shape is complex and gorgeous. Although it is different from the bronze He of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, it is full of imagination.