Page 66 - Bonhams Olivier Collection Early Chinese Art November 2018

The present lot is a magnificent example of the advancement in casting 壺薄唇，束頸兩側銜鑄虎耳，虎回首曲尾，身有圓點方斑。腹鼓而
technology accomplished during the Eastern Zhou dynasty, resulting in 垂，起十字棱形帶飾，仿自皮質綁帶。壺頸飾蟠虺紋，呈辦形分佈，
innovation and elaboration of forms and decoration. 上身滿飾蟠虺紋，而下腹光素。高圈足，內收外撇，足圈亦飾蟠虺
紋，立於四牛形足之上。器身覆青綠皮色，間以紅褐色。
The demise of the Zhou Court and subsequent decentralisation of
power resulted in fierce competition among break-away feudal states, 此壺裝飾繁複生動，代表東周青銅器鑄造的高超水平。平王東遷之
not only in terms of political and military power, but also in production of 後，周室衰落，禮制式微，而諸侯國不僅在政治軍事上竟相爭奪，藝
works of art. At a time of constant flux and usurpation of the rigid rules 術上亦爭高下。諸侯們不斷蠶食周室嚴格的等級制度，器用和裝飾追
on rites and daily customs set by the Zhou Court, feudal lords were 求大、奇、巧、異，以示堂皇，以徵權勢。失蠟法隨之改進，使得裝
eager to commission exceptionally large and elaborate vessels to be 飾更加豐富；模型分鑄更加成熟，不僅提高生產效率，亦可鑄造更大
used in their own court rituals and banquets, as a display of power and 器型，此件拍品即是箇中表表。
opulence. With the advent of lost-wax casting technology, complicated
and elaborate decorative features that were previously difficult to model 類似方壺可參考一件北京故宮博物院所藏一件春秋晚期方壺，鑄有類
with the piece-moulding method become feasible to sculpt, adding 似虎耳，足底為二虎，見《故宮青銅器》，北京，1999年，頁247，
depth to the decorative details, as seen on the present lot. 編號243；中國國家博物館亦藏有一件春秋時期帶蓋方壺，四足為虎
形，其他裝飾與形制和此件頗似，見 William Watson著，《Ancient
Compare with a related archaic bronze vase, fang hu, late Spring Chinese Bronze（古代中國青銅器）》，倫敦，1962，圖版54a。
and Autumn period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, of similar form
decorated with archaic scrolls and flanked by a similar pair of tiger
handles, but supported on two tigers, illustrated in Bronzes in the
Palace Museum, Beijing, 1999, pp.247, no.243; and compare also
with a fang hu, Spring and Autumn period, in the National Museum
of China, Beijing, illustrated by W.Watson in Ancient Chinese Bronze,
London, 1962, pl.54a.

Image after Ancient Chinese Bronzes, London, 1962,
pl.54a

64 | BONHAMS