Page 26 - Sotheby's Important Chinese Art, Sept. 21-22, 2-21, NYC

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AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL (GU)
LATE SHANG DYNASTY
of slender proportions with a spreading lower body set over
a short straight foot and rising to a cylindrical central section 4
below a tall flaring neck, the lower body with two dissolved AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL detailed relief patterns, and more heft than their Erlitou
taotie masks in high relief against a leiwen ground divided (JIA) predecessors, but are less ornate than jia of the mature
by four vertical flanges, the central section repeating the Anyang phase. A Middle Shang jia of this type, attributed
design, the neck with a band of S-curved serpents below four MIDDLE SHANG DYNASTY to the late 14th - early 13th century BC, is in the Museum of
tall cicada blades all patterned with leiwen the compressed globular body with a slightly convex base, Fine Arts, Boston (acc. no. 14.85). Another jia of this form
Height 10⅝ in., 27 cm
resting on three blade-shaped legs and rising to a tall and period, also with the apertures where the legs meet the
trumpet neck, set with a D-form handle at one side and a pair base of the body, was formerly in the collection of Avery
PROVENANCE
of posts with conical finials at the rim on the opposite side, Brundage, is now in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
Collection of Robert G. Calder, Jr. the body and the neck each cast with a register comprising (obj. no. B60B45). A related jia produced circa the end of the
Christie’s New York, 23rd March 1995, lot 323. three units of taotie masks, the creatures’ distinctive Middle Shang period, which bears the same design elements
oval eyes emerging in high relief against the abstracted as the present jia, but has more finely detailed taotie and
LITERATURE curvilinear facial features, each mask bordered above and lacks the dotted borders, from the collection of Yolanda and
Richard A. Pegg and Zhang Lidong, The MacLean Collection: below by a narrow band of raised circles, the well of the body Paul Lippens is published in Christian Deydier, The Lippens
Chinese Ritual Bronzes, Chicago, 2010, pl. 7. with three triangular apertures revealing the hollow interior Collection of Ancient Chinese Bronzes, Hong Kong, 2019,
of the legs, the patina gray with areas of green oxidation cat. no. 12.
$ 10,000-15,000 Height 11¼ in., 28.6 cm
$ 50,000-70,000
商末 青銅饕餮紋觚 PROVENANCE
Wui Po Kok Antique Co, Ltd., Hong Kong, 2000.
來源： 商中期 青銅饕餮紋斝
Robert G. Calder, Jr. 收藏 LITERATURE 來源：
紐約佳士得1995年3月23日，編號323 Richard A. Pegg and Zhang Lidong, The MacLean Collection: 滙寶閣古美術，香港，2000年
Chinese Ritual Bronzes, Chicago, 2010, pl. 10.
出版： 出版：
彭銳查及張立東，《The MacLean Collection: Chinese The present jia can be attributed to the Middle Shang period 彭銳查及張立東，《The MacLean Collection: Chinese
(circa 1400-1250 BC) based on its form and decoration.
Ritual Bronzes》，芝加哥，2010年，圖版7 Jia of this period have more dynamic profiles, more
2 Ritual Bronzes》，芝加哥，2010年，圖版10
3
A RARE ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE
VESSEL (JIAO), LATE SHANG DYNASTY
the deep U-shaped body resting on three splayed triangular
blade legs, finely cast on each side with a taotie mask
detailed with protruding eyes, all reserved on an intricate
leiwen ground, divided on one side by a notched flange,
and on the other by a vertical panel cast with an inscription
reading shi, beneath the loop handle issuing from a bovine
head, the slightly waisted neck rising to two high flaring
points on opposite sides, each cast on the underside with
a cicada motif interrupting a band of upright triangles, the
surface with malachite encrustation
Height 9½ in., 24 cm
PROVENANCE
Wui Po Kok Antique Co, Ltd., Hong Kong, 1998.
LITERATURE
Richard A. Pegg and Zhang Lidong, The MacLean Collection:
Chinese Ritual Bronzes, Chicago, 2010, pl. 9.
In addition to the present vessel, only two other Shi jiao are
known, both of which were excavated from the Qianzhangda
tombs in Tengzhou county, Shandong province, published
in The Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, Tengzhou qianzhangda mudi [Qianzhangda tombs
in Tengzhou], Beijing, 2005, pp 259 and 262.
$ 15,000-20,000

商末 史角
銘文：
史

來源：
3
滙寶閣古美術，香港，1998年
出版：
彭銳查及張立東，《The MacLean Collection: Chinese
Ritual Bronzes》，芝加哥，2010年，圖版9
22 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N10748 IMPORTANT ARCHAIC BRONZES FROM THE MACLEAN COLLECTION 23