A large emerald-green glazed pottery Hu with hunting scene. The vessel has a wide galleried rim, the shoulders encircled by a band depicting a hunting scene with mythical beasts, dragons, birds, and two taotie masks issuing mock ring handles, all in high relief. Covered in a thick layer of deep emerald-green glaze, pooling nicely at the upper rim to form several distinct glaze drops.
 
Eastern Han Dynasty China: circa 1st-2nd century AD.
 
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. The jar has an old repair all the way around, the central luting line with associated old fills and touch-ups.
Height 37.4 cms (14.7 ins).
Weight 4.3 kgs.
 
Provenance: L. Wannieck, Paris, France. An old German private collection, Berlin, acquired from the above between the late 1940s and early 1950s. The base with an old label 'L. Wannieck, Paris Han 201-1 1-190'.
 
Marie-Madeleine Wannieck (1871-1960) was a prominent collector and art dealer from the early 20th century until her death. She was married to Leon J.B. Wannieck (1875-1931) and together they founded the Maison L. Wannieck, which was opened in 1902 on Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
 
Although neither received any formal education, their gallery rivalled those of the most wealthy and prominent of that time. The gallery imported art objects from China, dealing directly with local antiquities dealers and archaeological digs. The legendary Ching Tsai Loo (C. T. Loo, 1880 - 1957), a famous antique dealer of Chinese art, was among Léon Wannieck's friends and competitors. The couple was also very involved in the Société des Amis du Musée Cernuschi, for which Léon Wannieck served as vice-president from its founding in July 1922. During the society's assemblies, the couple socialized with leading sinologists, such as Paul Pelliot (1878-1945). Léon Wannieck was also in regular contact with Henri d'Ardenne de Tizac (1877-1932), the curator of the Musée Cernuschi. Through this direct link, or through the Société des Amis, the Wanniecks donated or sold numerous works to the Musée Cernuschi.
 
In the Han dynasty, daily utensils were usually made of stoneware and goods for burial were made of earthenware. The hunting scene that decorates this vase suggests that the deceased was a nobleman, as hunting was a pastime of the aristocracy.
 
Literature: Compare a closely related green glazed vase with a hunting scene, dated to the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number C.245-1909. Compare a closely related green glazed vase with a hunting scene, dated to the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-8 AD), in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number C.1479-1924.
See also item 163: Spirit of Han: Lau, Aileen & Lu Yaw etc.