Bian Zhong Gilt-Bronze Bell & Guan Vase From Song Dynasty Offered by Christie’s

A rare Guan vase from the Southern Song dynasty (China, 1127 – 1279) will lead the upcoming J. J. Lally & Co. auction at Christie’s. This small, pear-shaped vase has a tall, cylindrical neck. It is pale-bluish-green suffused with a network of golden-brown crackles. Its dark body is revealed where the glaze runs thin, like the lipped mouth rim. Kiln factories producing Guan potteries were established in the Southern Song court around 1127. Their crackled glazes, created accidentally, distinguishes the surviving examples of Guan pottery. The finest examples have grey-blue glazes on thin bodies, with wide crackles, followed by a greener glaze with a denser crackle, like the available one. 

A rare imperial gilt-bronze ritual bell from the Bian Zhong Kangxi period (circa 1713) is another key lot in the sale. Heavily cast in barrel form, the bell is decorated in high relief with horizontal bands of bosses alternating with the Daoist Trigrams flanking four vertical panels. One panel notes the reign date Kangxi wushier nian zhi, or ‘made in the fifty-second year of Kangxi.’ The flat top is surmounted by a suspension handle formed by two dragons. Zhong bells were developed in the Zhou dynasty (1046 – 256 BCE) and used in traditional ceremonies and special events. Visit Christie’s to find more information on the upcoming J. J. Lally & Co. sale and to register to bid.