Page 29 - Christie's Chinese Works of Art March 24 and 25th, 2022 NYC

An Important Warring States

Bronze Narrative Fanghu

重要戰國青銅人物故事圖方壺

By Robert D. Mowry 毛瑞

Embellished with narrative scenes and with ring handles on opposing sides, ever more prominent in the Warring States and Han periods. Fanghu
this bronze fanghu, or square wine jar, dates to the Warring States period vessels from the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods (771–476
(475–256 BC), probably to the fourth to third century BC. This elegantly BC) typically have rounded corners, while, in a new innovation, those from
shaped jar and its virtually identical mate, now in the Museum Reitberg, the Warring States period have crisp, square corners, the sides meeting at
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Zurich (museum no. RCH 9A), are two wine jars from a small, cohesive group ninety-degree angles.
of five closely related fanghu vessels; they epitomize the Warring States
period’s taste for luxury items, and they demonstrate its exploration of new Bronze ritual vessels from the Shang dynasty were intended for use in
decorative techniques; moreover, these jars’ narrative scenes convey a wealth ceremonies honoring the spirits of deceased ancestors. By the Western
of information about life during the Warring States period, just as they Zhou period, bronzes often were cast for commemorative as well as sacral
give insight into the painting style of the period, an exceptionally valuable purposes, their longer inscriptions recording victory in battle, for example,
contribution as virtually no contemporaneous paintings survive. or the bestowal of land or other benefaction by the emperor. As vessels
came to serve everyday functions in royal and aristocratic households
A jar for storing and possibly presenting wine, the hu was among the earliest during the Warring States period, sumptuous surface decoration became
bronze ritual vessels produced in the Shang dynasty (c. 1600 BC–c. 1046 more pronounced, often with inlays of gold, silver, copper, turquoise, and
BC), at which time the pear-shaped vessel typically claimed a footring, often malachite, or, in the case of this fanghu, inlays of a glass-frit-based paste
sported surface embellishment (usually a taotie mask), and sometimes in the design’s sunken background areas to showcase the raised, flat-
boasted a cover. Although some wine-vessel types disappeared following surfaced, pictorial motifs. The embellishment of bronzes with inlays of
the fall of the Shang and the establishment of the Zhou in c. 1046 BC, the hu precious metals found its tentative beginnings in the mid-sixth century BC
not only persisted through the Zhou and into the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD and then occurred with increasing frequency through the Warring States
220) but remained among the most popular vessel types, even as it saw a period. Although a few Shang-dynasty bronzes were inlayed with a black,
continuing evolution of its shape. Although hu jars of standard shape—i.e., carbonaceous material in the narrow, intaglio lines of the cast decorative
with circular, bulbous body and cylindrical neck—continued to be produced elements, presumably to contrast with and thus accentuate the principal
during the Western Zhou period (c. 1046 BC–771 BC), that era also witnessed decorative motifs, this practice it not believed to anticipate the inlaid
the growth in popularity of the fanghu, or square hu, which would become bronzes of the Warring States period.

士得高級顧問
本青銅方壺為酒器，器身飾敍事場景，左右繫環耳，很可能鑄造於公元前四至三世紀 商代青銅禮器用於祭祖一類的喪葬儀式。時至西周，鑄造青銅器通常是為了紀念和
戰國時代 (公元前475至256年)。此壺形制典雅，它有一件大同小異的近似例，現藏 祭祀用途，其銘文相對較長，內容各異，如記述戰功，或獲天子封地賞賜等。由於戰
瑞士蘇黎世里特貝格博物館 (館藏號RCH 9A)， 兩者均來自一組密切相關的方壺， 國器物逐漸向皇親貴冑的日常用器過渡，其器表紋飾愈加富麗堂皇，且泰半鑲嵌金
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這批作品雖僅有寥寥五例，但五者之間息息相關；它們既體現了戰國奢華之物的審 銀、黃銅、綠松石及孔雀石，或像本方壺般，在減地的紋飾背景嵌入玻璃質填料，以
美意趣，亦彰顯了當時對新的裝飾技巧所作之探索；此外，這批方壺的敍事場景更 彰顯凸起但表面平整的圖像紋母題。青銅器鑲嵌貴重金屬之工藝，肇興於公元前
呈現了大量戰國時期的生活細節，我們可以藉此一窺當代畫風，鑑於傳世的戰國繪 六世紀中葉，後於戰國年間日漸普及。雖有少量商代青銅器會在鑄紋的細陰線內嵌
畫幾近於無，所以此類信息益發彌足珍貴。 以黑色碳質填料 (或為映襯甚或突顯主紋飾)，但這一做法應不是戰國鑲嵌青銅的
前身。
壺用於貯存或盛放美酒，是商代 (約公元前1600至1046年) 最早製作的青銅禮器之
一，起初其梨形器身一般承以圈足，器表多飾圖紋 (饕餮紋居多)，間或連蓋。雖然部 戰國鑲嵌類青銅器的陰紋元素 (有人物、動物或抽象圖案) 以鑄紋居多，減地紋飾
份酒器在商亡周起 (約公元前1046年) 之後逐漸銷聲匿跡，但壺在周乃至漢代 (公 則錯金屬或嵌石；但以本方壺這類作品為例，其平整的浮雕圖案方為鑄紋，地子則
元前206至公元220年) 仍長盛不衰，其造型雖迭有嬗更，但一直是最流行的器形之 飾陰紋，洵為當時青銅鑄造工藝的一大創舉。就減地陰紋鑲嵌物所作的科學分析發
一。即便標準壺式 (即鼓腹直頸者) 在西周 (約公元前1046至771年) 製作不斷，但同 現，除黏合劑之外，當中至少混合了五種礦物質 (包括石英)，可見應屬於玻璃質填
一時期亦見證了方壺的興起，其重要性自戰國至漢有增無減。西周和春秋時代 (公元 料。相關的礦物質很可能來自石粉。顯微鏡研究亦顯示，外層礦物質的表面極為平
前771至476年) 的方壺採用圓角設計，而戰國創製的樣式則改用線條明快的方角， 整，這意味着減地陰紋的填料變硬後曾予以打磨。雖然無法確定青銅器的填料有否
壺壁以直角相接。 經過窯燒，但學界多持否定意見，認為器物僅靠某種黏合劑來固定填料並使之黏附

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