Bronze arrow vase of hexagonal form with compressed bulbous body, elongated neck and banded top with two hexagonal tubes attached at either side, standing on a high pedestal base. Decorated in high relief with two dragons, qi, on the upper neck and two dragon masks alternating with two Buddhist lions on the body. The whole vase is decorated with patterns of key fret, tortoise shell or sea waves on each surface.
Arrow vases were used in an ancient game, 'touhu', which involved throwing arrows into a wine pitcher. 'Touhu' was first recorded in 'Liji', The Classic of Rites, and later developed to become a performance and entertainment sport of the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods, 770-221 BCE. It was played among elites and scholars as a drinking game during banquets in the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644.
