417.
A BRONZE BALUSTER VASE, YEN YEN
Qing dynasty, 18th century
45 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 5346.
This vase is an example of the combination of inspiration from archaic models with later features. If the low relief decoration inside the spear-shaped reserves on body and neck and the handles with a taotie mask with ring clearly resembled ancient bronzes, the three feet shaped as a chimera and the handles on the neck shaped as birds with a loose ring in their beak are typical of later production.
A comparable vase, missing the three zoomorphic feet, is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (inv. n. 99.5).
