VASE COUVERT TRIPODE EN BRONZE DORÉ À DÉCOR INCISÉ... Lot n° 215

VASE COUVERT TRIPODE EN BRONZE DORÉ À DÉCOR INCISÉ DE SCÈNE DE CHASSE ET D'ANIMAUX FANTASTIQUES, LIAN Dynastie des Han occidentaux (206 av. J.-C. - 9 ap. J.-C.) A VERY RARE GILT-BRONZE INCISED 'HUNTING SCENE' TRIPOD CONTAINER AND COVER, LIAN Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-9 AD) The cylindrical vessel raised on three kneeling bear supports, divided into registers by three bowstrings, variously decorated around the sides with an intricate incised designs of lappets and scrollwork with a scene of a man wielding a spear hunting a mythical beast, flanked with a pair of taotie-mask and ring handles, the cover with an external border decorated with a similar hunting scene, around the internal medallion with lappets alternating with six animals including an owl and a toad around a four lappets encircling an aperture. 23.5cm (9 2/8in) diam. x 23.5cm (9 2/8in) high. (2). Footnotes: Provenance: Robert Rousset, Paris (1901-1981), acquired prior to 1935 Jean-Pierre Rousset, Paris (1936-2021) Cast as a miniature 'mountain' decorated with spear-armed men hunting mythical beasts, the present vessel was once entirely gilt and thus particularly precious. Although the shape is probably inspired by ritual wine containers, zun, produced during the Warring States period (475-221 BC), the vessel could have been used also as a cosmetic box or in the ritual context, may have acted as a visual aid for the tomb occupant to envision the mythical Immortal land of Penglai which they were hoped to reach in their afterlife. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Shanhai Jing, likely compiled during the 4th century BC, Penglai was one of the Immortal islands located in the Eastern Bohai sea, which vanished from sight as voyagers glimpsed them and hoped to land on them in their search of Immortality-granting elixirs. These islands were defined by high mountains dotted with caves where Immortals were thought to live. Based on the Daoist idea of a peaked island, the miniature landscape presented on this vessel may have represented the deceased's journey through a winding obstacle-laden landscape, in search of the elixir of eternal life. '(..) Having transcended sacred mountains, one will gain supernatural powers, controlling the wind and rain, and finally reach to Heaven, the Abode of the Celestial Emperor', mentions the 'Masters from Huainan', Huainanzi, in the 2nd century BC. See A.G.Wenley, 'The Question of the Po-Shan-Hsiang-Lu', in Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America, no.3, 1948, pp.5-12. Mountains were highly regarded in China as primary components of the universe, because of their ability to produce water, the life-giving element, from the clouds swirling around them. They were linked with a profound interest in meeting the Immortal spirits inhabiting their naturally high peaks, which provided the closest connection with heaven. From at least the time of emperor Wudi (r.141-87 BC), the mountains located on the Immortal islands in the Eastern Sea were thought to be reached in two ways, wither during one's earthly lifespan, through the ingestion of magical potions, or following one's death, through the preservation of the body and soul in the burial. See J.Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China: New Discoveries From the Early Dynasties, London, 1996, pp.172-173; see also S.Erickson, 'Boshanlu: Mountain Censer of the Western Han Period: A Typological and Iconographical Analysis', in Archives of Asian Art, 1992, vol.45, pp.6-28. The animals populating the mythical mountain depicted on the present vessel were probably inspired by the mythical creatures inhabiting the wondrous realms described in the Shanghai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), the Huainanzi, compiled sometime before 139 BC, and the Zhuangzi (Master Zhuang) of the late Warring States period (476-221 BC). It is also quite possible that the animals may have been inspired by those involved in the imperial hunts that were carefully staged in the royal parks during the Han dynasty. The Han emperors had an unprecedented passion for building brilliant parks of great size where the rulers staged symbolical conquests of the natural world through ritual hunts and animal combats. See E.H.Schafer, 'Hunting Parks and Animal Enclosures in ancient China', in Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 1968, vol.11, no.3, pp.318-343. The taotie mask designs decorating the ring handles and the three bears shaping the feet were probably aimed at protecting the deceased against the evil influences they may encounter in their afterlife. Although the actual significance of the taotie motif is still the subjects of extensive academic research, it is mentioned in the 'Spring and Autumn Rituals' as bodiless monster swallowing hostile tribes.