Page 40 - Christie's IMPORTANT CHINESE Ceramics and Works of Art may 28 2021 hk

2919 Continued
Most Chinese archaic bronze ritual vessel claim geometric forms For examples of the second group of xiaoyou, which share the same
(circular, cylindrical, square, rectangular, etc.), though a few examples basic form of the current vessel, but have a smooth surface decorated
– of various functional types – were made in zoomorphic shapes based only with simplified wings and facial details cast in crisp relief, see
on animals known in China in early times, including rhinoceroses, the example from Shilou, Shanxi province, included in the exhibition,
water buffalo, elephants, , ducks, and other birds such as the owl. The Genius of China, Royal Academy of Art, London, 29 September
Most animal-form vessels are for liquids, presumably wine, and are 1973 – 23 January 1974, no. 81; the vessel in the Art Museum,
containers or pouring vessels. Shang-dynasty, zoomorphic vessels tend Princeton University, illustrated by E. von Erdberg, “Chinese Bronzes
to be naturalistically shaped – even if they sometimes display taotie from the Collection of Chester Dale and Dolly Carter”, Artibus Asiae,
masks, leiwen patterns and other surface decoration. The most popular Supplementum XXXV, 1978, no. 47; and the vessel illustrated by E. B.
ones tend to be you wine vessels in the form of a standing owl or, Avril, Chinese Art in the Cincinnati Art Museum, 1997, pp. 15 and 33, no. 7.
occasionally, shaped as two addorsed owls, such as the current vessel.
古青銅彝器常呈幾何方圓，亦見動物外觀，如犀牛、水牛、象、貘及如
Known as xiaoyou – xiao being an archaic term for ‘owl’, and you a
specific ritual vessel form intended to contain wine – these unusual 本拍品之鴞。此類雙鴞相背造型的青銅卣大多製作於商代，主要有兩類
vessels are of two distinct types: those of more austere simplified 形制，一類表面光素簡潔（圖一），另一類則如此器滿佈紋飾。
design (fig. 1) and those covered all over with dense decoration,
exemplified by the present vessel. Other xiaoyou of this ornate type, 此類鴞卣，紋飾以細密羽毛紋及雷紋為主，偶見小型的鳥紋。
decorated with fine scale-like feathers, leiwen grounds and sometimes R.W.Bagley 著 1987 年出版《Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler
additional small bird and dragon motifs, are represented by three Collections》中收錄了三件此類例子，一件藏於美國華盛頓特區弗瑞爾
examples illustrated by R. W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur 美術館，見頁 371，編號 63.4；一件藏於京都泉屋博物館，頁 115，編號
M. Sackler Collections, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 1987: one in the
Freer Gallery of Art, p.371, fig.63.4; one in the Sumimoto Collection, 154；一件藏於英國劍橋大學菲茨威廉博物館，頁 371，編號 63.3。布倫
Kyoto, p. 115, fig. 154; and one in the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge, 戴奇珍藏中亦見一例，見《Ancient Chinese Bronzes》，三藩市，1966 年，
p. 371, fig. 63.3. Further examples of ornately decorated xiaoyou include 圖版 XVIII（B）。玫茵堂藏一例，見戴克成著《中國銅器》，第 1 冊，
one in the Avery Brundage Collection, illustrated by d’Argence, Ancient 圖版 27 號。另可參考大英博物館藏一例，見 William Watson 著《Ancient
Chinese Bronzes, San Francisco, 1966, pl. XVIII (B); the xiaoyou in the Chinese Bronzes》，倫敦，1962 年，圖版 13a（圖二）。本拍品同上述
Meiyintang Collection, illustrated by Christian Deydier, Chinese Bronzes
from the Meiyintang Collection, Hong Kong, 2013, Vol. 1 Annexe, pp. 例子相比，雷紋較大且饕餮紋飾更為深刻。另僅本器及玫茵堂例之上鉤
47-49, no 27; and the example in the British Museum, illustrated by 喙部無開孔，且不似其它繩形提梁，而是兩端飾龍首。
William Watson, Ancient Chinese Bronzes, London, 1962, pl. 13a. (fig.
2) Of these xiaoyou with upturned beaks, the current vessel and the 另有一種介於兩類的鴞卣，其器身如第一類滿布羽毛紋及雷紋，但效果
Meiyintang example are the only vessels that do not have horizontal 趨於平面，而翅膀的形狀也與第二類較為相似，如山西石樓一例，曾
perforations in the beaks. 於 1973 年 9 月 29 日 -1974 年 1 月 23 日展覽於倫敦皇家藝術學院《The
The current xiaoyou is distinguished from the above-noted examples Genius of China》，第 81 號；普林斯頓大學藝術博物館一例，見 E. von
by the unusually large scrolls of the leiwen ground on the sides of the Erdberg 著《Chinese Bronzes from the Collection of Chester Dale and Dolly
cover, and the unusually high relief of the mask elements on the cover. Carter》，Artibus Asiae，增刊，1978 年，圖版 47；及辛辛那提美術館
Also noteworthy, of the xiaoyou cited above that have retained their 藏一例，見 E. B. Avril 著《Chinese Art in the Cincinnati Art Museum》，
handles, the current vessel is the only example that has dragon-head
terminals, while the other have simple loop terminals. 1997 年，15 及 33 頁，圖版 7 號。

fig. 1 Sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 November 2020, lot 2801 fig. 2 © The Trustees of the British Museum
(price realised HKD 9,250,000) 圖二 大英博物館藏品
圖一 拍賣於香港佳士得，2020 年 11 月 30 日，拍品 2801 號
（成交價：港元 9,250,000）
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