Footnotes

The kundika is a religious water vessel with ancient roots tracing back to the earliest Hindu and Buddhist traditions of India. Examples in China are known as early as the Tang Dynasty, where it serves as an attribute of Avalokiteshvara, later becoming codified with the iconography of Guanyin.

Cast with a distinctive honey-yellow brass alloy, the surface has been worn smooth through prolonged ritual use within the culture, and the native repair to the lid indicates it was preserved in Tibet. The incised scrolling band and flower heads around the collar are identical to the hemline patterns found on numerous Yuan bronzes, as well as period textiles from the reign of the Wenzong emperor (r.1328-32) (see Bigler, Before Yongle, Zurich, 2015, pp.84 & 93, nos.19 & 21; and Watt, The World of Khubilai Khan, New Haven, 2011, pp.112-3, fig.146). Additionally, the powerful makara head at the base of the vessel's spout is also of the period (ibid.).

A Xuande-period example of similar form, but decorated in cloisonné, is held in the British Museum (acc.#1977,0718.1; Zwalf, Buddhism: Art and Faith, London, 1985, no.301). Another, suggested to be earlier, is in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath (acc.#BATEA: 697).

Provenance
Private Collection of Ed O'Neill, Hong Kong, by 1990


黃銅軍持
元朝，十四世紀晚期
喜馬拉雅藝術資源網2429號
高15.2釐米 （6英吋）

350,000-450,000港元

軍持是一種用於宗教儀式中的盛水禮器，此器型可追溯至天竺最古老的印度教與佛教傳統。 在中國，該器型早自唐代就與觀世音菩薩之法相有為連結，後來亦被固化為觀音之形象特徵。

此軍持以一種獨特的蜂蜜色黃銅合金鑄造， 因經世代傳承以及儀式使用，器皿表面自然磨損光滑， 瓶蓋有經過藏式修復，由此可知此物曾保存於西藏地區。頸部飾有花卉及卷形紋，與數尊元代造像之袈裟紋飾以及元文宗時期（1328-32年在位）的紡織品紋飾相同（參見Bigler，Before Yongle，蘇黎世，2015年，頁84與93，19與21號；以及Watt，The World of Khubilai Khan，紐黑文，2011年，頁112-3，圖146）。此外，在壺身把手底部的摩伽羅首也是這個時期的特徵（同上）。

一件與其密切相關但未斷代的對照作品藏於巴塞爾民俗博物館，參見Essen與Thingo，Die Götter des Himalaya，卷二，慕尼黑，1989年，頁234，II-498號。大英博物館藏一明宣德軍持亦與本拍品器形相似，然而該宣德軍持以景泰藍掐絲琺瑯裝飾 （館藏編號1977,0718.1，參見Zwalf，Buddhism: Art and Faith，倫敦，1985年，301號）。 另一款相關作品製作期間較早，現藏於巴斯東亞藝術博物館（館藏編號BATEA: 697）。

來源
Ed O'Neill先生私人珍藏，香港， 自1990年前