Page 50 - Sotheby's Important Chinese Art, Sept. 21-22, 2-21, NYC

A FLAMBOYANT POURING VESSEL FROM THE SOUTH OF CHINA

古風綺綺：青銅獸面紋龍流盉

REGINA KRAHL
康蕊君

Compared with the solemnity of Shang bronzes (c. 1600- 商代青銅器以莊嚴見著，相比之下，周代青銅器更見
1046 BC), vessels of the Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-221 BC) 奢華，從中可感受到藝匠臻於探索之意趣。而此三足
often display a more extravagant side and one cannot help 青銅盉，乃當時佳例。 此器究竟用於盛酒或盛水，
feeling that the craftsmen were more inclined and freer
to experiment. A case in point is this extraordinary and 其功用一直備受爭議，有學者認為，此盉乃為酒器，
extremely rare tri-lobed ewer (he), with its extended spout. 用以分酒入爵等較小器皿，或盛水則與盤共用於相關
The exact function of this shape, as a wine or water vessel, 儀式。現時主流觀點則似乎認為盉是古人用熱水稀釋
has been much debated and it had been suggested that it 酒時所用。無論其功用如何，此器型非比尋常，乃為
was made for pouring wine into smaller goblets such as jue, 傾倒液體而製無誤。本品不僅器形出眾，其紋飾亦精
or that it served for ablutions, in combination with basins
(pan). The predominant view today, however, seems to be 美異常，刻畫立體，剛毅有力。
that it was employed for diluting wine with hot water. In any
case, this unconventional form was conceived for careful, 上海博物館收藏一盉例，器形及紋飾與本品極為相
controlled pouring. The present he is remarkable not only for 近，流、鋬及蓋皆作龍形，有如三龍從器身中幻化
its shape but also its high-relief decoration, which includes 而出，精美絕倫（圖一）。該例和其他相近盉例一
most unusual detached dragon and bird motifs. 樣，目前學術界對其斷代有著不同說法，可見斷代
Closely comparable in its form and overall style is the 西周中末期或末期之說，亦有定春秋初期或中期之
flamboyant he with fanciful dragon-shaped spout, handle 論；參考沈之瑜編，《The Shanghai Museum of Art》
and cover in the Shanghai Museum, designed as if the three
animals were emerging from inside the vessel (fig. 1). Like ，紐約，1981年，圖版78；《上海博物館中國青銅
other comparable he, the Shanghai vessel has been variously 器陳列》，上海博物館，上海，1990年，頁29；以
attributed to the mid- to late or the late Western Zhou (c. 及陳佩芬，《Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Shanghai
1046-771), to the early, and to the mid-Spring and Autumn Museum》，倫敦，1995 年，圖版51。目前其博物館
period (770-476 BC); see Shen Zhiyu, ed., The Shanghai 觀點似乎認為此乃春秋中期，即約公元前七世紀，
Museum of Art, New York, 1981, pl. 78; Shanghai Bowuguan.
Zhongguo qingtong qi chenlie / Shanghai Museum. The 中國東南部越地所製，風格呼應西周中原青銅器，
Chinese Bronze Exhibition, n.p., n.d., p. 29; and Chen 但更具地域特色。
Peifen, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Shanghai Museum,
London, 1995, pl. 51. The current view at the Museum seems 另參考一相近鳳蓋虺龍紋盉，住友吉左衛門氏收
to consider it a vessel made in the Yue region of south- 藏，錄梅原末治，《日本蒐儲支那古銅精華》，大
eastern China in the mid-Spring and Autumn period, i.e. 阪，1959至1964年，卷4，圖版CCCXXXII，斷代周代
around the 7th century B.C., stylistically echoing bronze
design prevalent in the Central Plain region in the Western 中期；亦比一斷代春秋初期之相近作例，流經換，鋬
Zhou, but transformed into a regional style. 的設計更為繁複，於廣東信宜出土，現藏於廣州廣東
A similar he, described as having a phoenix-shaped cover, 省博物館，見彭卿雲編，《中國文物精華大辭典：青
from the Sumitomo collection, is published in Umehara 銅卷》，上海，1995年，編號0723。
Sueji, Nihon shūcho Shina kodō seika/Selected Relics of
Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Japan, Osaka,
1959-64, vol. 4, pl. CCCXXXII, attributed to the middle
Zhou period; and a related he, with replaced spout and
a more elaborate scrollwork handle, was excavated in
Xinyi, Guangdong, and is now in the Guangdong Provincial
Museum, Guangzhou, see Peng Qingyun, ed., Zhongguo
wenwu jinghua da cidian: Qingtong juan [Encyclopaedia of
masterpieces of Chinese cultural relics: Bronze volume],
Shanghai, 1995, no. 0723, where it is attributed to the early
Spring and Autumn period.

IMPORTANT ARCHAIC BRONZES FROM THE MACLEAN COLLECTION 47