Chinese Ming Bronze Vase with Dragon Lobed Handles

This monumental Ming-dynasty bell once pealed in a Chinese village, sounding out in celebration or giving notice of important events. Expertly forged, the cast-iron bell is detailed with characters in intricate relief, and its exaggerated scallop rim is traced with oversized rivets. Covered in scales and ending in expressive faces, the bell's handle is cast in the form of a two-headed hong dragon, thought to be the embodiment of a rainbow and thus visible only after rainfall. Frosted with snow or lit from within by flickering candles, this sculptural bell takes on a magical presence in the winter garden.

A decorative technique first adopted in China in the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644), cloisonné is achieved by outlining intricate patterns with thin strips of metal, which are then f...

A well cast and powerful Chinese dragon bronze altar vase with arrow handles, Qing Dynasty, 18th century or earlier, China. The altar vase of bottle form, set on a high, splayed r...

1940s Chinese Cloisonné large vase. Cloisonné is an ancient technique which incorporates decorative materials like enamel, colored glass, or gemstones into metalwork objects bound by wire on metal backing. The vase features extraordinary depictions of Chinese mythological phoenix bird and a dragon in vibrant colors of red, blue, pink, and green, against a black background with gold geometric overlay. Also featured are vibrant greenery leaves and puffy clouds or floral motifs in pastel colors. The vase has a large urn design with a bronze rim and base. The vase features a series of blue foliage along the base and has ancient Chinese geometric motifs along the top perimeter. This is an unusually tall vase and comes with a hand carved mahogany wood base. Vase Measure 26" height without the base and 29.5"H with the base. Looks amazing with or without the base. Second vase with pink dragon...