A SMALL LONGQUAN ARROW VASE, TOUHUYuan DynastyThepressed rounded body rising from a short foot, the slender cylindrical neck flanked by a pair of tubular handles, the glaze of soft sea-green tone.12.7cm (5in) high.Footnotes:Provenance : J. M. Hu (1911-1995) Collection.These small vases were made for use as flower vases, but their form is based on the shape of larger bronze vessels (tou hu) which were used as the target in a drinking game in which contestants tossed arrows at the mouth or handles of the vessel. Interest in the game was revived by Song literati, and the vessel shape, associated with antiquity and with contemporary scholar-elites, was revived by Song potters and remained popular through the Ming dynasty.