Two bronze handled vases, Yuan - Ming dynasty

Phillips, London, acquired in the 1980s.

These vases exemplify the careful balance of negative space, intricate decorative banding and faceted designs, in vogue primarily during the Yuan dynasty. Compare a related hexagon vase of this style, preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, dated from the 12th to 14th century in Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, pl. 38.38. In his notes, Hausmann attributes the vase without the hexagonal section to the Song dynasty.