Page 72 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Nov 2014 Hong Kong

The Property of a Gentleman 士紳藏品

144 He Jingcheng in his thesis Shang dai shi zu yan jiu (Research on the
A rare archaic bronze ritual food vessel, shi yu Shi family of the Shang Dynasty), published in Huaxia Archaeology,
Late Shang Dynasty vol.2, Henan, 2007, identified the Shi family as an important clan
The deep bowl finely cast with a band of raised studded bosses during the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties, and members of
above a fine diamond diaper ground, beneath a border comprised of the family were settled in widespread regions across central China.
three evenly-spaced animal heads interspersed by archaistic dragon Archaic bronzes with inscription of the family were mostly found in
scrolls at neck, the gently splayed foot exhibiting a further three Tengzhou and Sishui in Shandong province, while some scattered
taotie reserved on a leiwen ground, the interior cast with an archaic were found in Baoji and Yaoxian, Shaanxi, also in Anyang, Henan.
character Shi.
24.6cm (9 3/4in) diam. Yu archaic bronze food vessels were popular during the late Shang
dynasty in the Yinxu Period, circa 13th – 11th centuries BC, and
HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000 are formed as a round bowl raised by a ringed foot. Unlike the gui
US$190,000 - 320,000 food vessel which was prevalent during the succeeding Western
Zhou dynasty, yu do not have ringed handles. These were used for
商代晚期 青銅乳釘雷紋史簋（盂） making offering of grains and vegetables in ancestral rituals, often
accompanied by the tripod ding vessel used for cooking meats.
Provenance 來源:
A San Francisco Bay family; according to the family, the vessel was
brought to the United States in the 1930’s by the father of the present
owner.
三藩市海灣家族舊藏；於1930年代由現藏家父親帶入美國。

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