Page 167 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China
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Bronze yan steamer with three vessels Claims of an archaeological object's uniqueness
are prone to eventual contradiction, and not simply
7 8
3
Height of yan 63 (24 A), width 103.7 (4° / )»
5
5
depth 27 (io / 8), weight 138.2 (3o4 / 8) because of the "risk" of new discoveries. Most
objects made in large workshop settings, including
Late Shang Yinxu Period II (c. 1200 BCE)
From Xiaotun Locus North, at Yinxu, Anyang, Shang bronze foundries, are in fact elements of
Henan Province groups, either true sets made at one time to a
shared design, or simply common types and vari-
The Institute of Archaeology, CASS, Beijing eties. Nonetheless, the triple steamer (yan) from
1
Tomb 5 is an isolated example without obvious
analogues. It suggests the broader range of creative
designs that the foundries sometimes pursued.
Objects such as this steamer set were probably
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