Page 30 - Christie's Chinese Works of Art March 24 and 25th, 2022 NYC
P. 30

Whereas most Warring States-period bronzes with inlaid decoration were   - a three-story architectural structure (in open-faced, elevation view), the sun
                                                              cast with intaglio decorative elements—whether humans, animals, or   and moon above at left and right, the interior with human figures and with
                                                              abstract designs—the sunken design elements to be inset with metal or   various vessels for food and beverages, the figures on the first floor filling
                                                              stone, this fanghu and its congeners were cast with the design elements   cups with a beverage ladled from hu vessels set on stands, the figures on the
                                                              in flat relief and the background in intaglio, demonstrating yet another   second floor raising cups in salutation
                                                              remarkable, very innovative experiment on the part of the period’s bronze
                                                              foundrymen. Scientific analysis of the material set into the sunken   - a concert with musicians playing sets of shiqing stone chimes and of
                                                              background areas has determined it to be paste consisting of a mixture   bianzhong bells mounted on stands supported by large chimera, and a
                                                              of at least five different minerals, including quartz, in addition to a binder,   drummer striking a large jiangu drum (i.e., a drum mounted on a vertical pole)
                                                              suggesting that it was a type of glass-frit paste. The minerals were probably
                                                              ground down from stones. Once it had dried and hardened, the paste in the   - a row of eight female dancers wearing long robes and holding fuchen
                                                              sunken background areas was polished, as microscopic examination also   whisks and assorted other objects
                                                              showed that the minerals at the surface have near-perfect, flat, horizontal
                                                              surfaces. It remains unknown whether or not the cast bronze was fired in   - a hunting scene with archers wielding bows, arrows, and spears, some
                                                              a kiln to mature the paste, but scientific opinion holds that it likely was not   riding in four-horse chariots with streaming banners, some on foot, and all
                                                              fired, relying instead on the unidentified binder to hold the paste together   pursuing birds, deer, hares, boars, and tigers
                                                              and to bond it to the vessel surface. That the matured paste could withstand
                                                              the rigors of polishing suggests that it must originally have had the hardness   - a palace hall (in open-faced, elevation view) with a bird perched on each of
                                                              of cement, even though the remaining elements are now soft and fragile.   the roof’s end-slopes, with guards standing at attention outside, and with
                                                              Although its original color cannot be determined, the now-tan paste must   two male figures inside ceremoniously exchanging (or holding between
                                                              have contrasted pleasingly with the color of the raised bronze design   them) a circular disc, with a row of four bridled horses and their grooms
                                                              elements (now oxidized red and green).                             immediately below, and, beneath that, with a row of four restrained tigers
                                                                                                                                 being bled into cauldrons
                                                              This rare fanghu reveals the Warring States period to have been one of
                                                              exceptional creativity, not only in introducing new techniques of decoration   - and, at the very bottom, a one-story architectural structure (in open-
                                                              but also in creating new types and styles of decoration. Whereas vessels   faced, elevation view), possibly a kitchen, with large cauldrons and workers
                                                              from earlier periods featured taotie masks and other stylized animals or   pounding the contents of the cauldrons with poles
                                                              abstract motifs without a particular location or identifiable setting, this
                                                              fanghu and its congeners feature pictorial décor with human figures in   Program 2 (on two contiguous sides, reading from top to bottom)
                                                              architectural and other settings. And, not only is it pictorial, the decoration
                                                              is narrative and thus tells stories, even if the theme of any particular story   - a rank of tall warriors holding spears and ge halberds
                                                              remains unclear. Moreover, as the depictions are based on contemporaneous
                                                              paintings—of which virtually none survive—such pictorial vessels convey   - a fierce battle with figures fighting in hand-to-hand combat with spears, ge
                                                              insight into the rapidly developing painting styles of the day.    halberds, and shields and with one central figure being beheaded
                                                              Each side of this vessel is fully decorated with complex pictorial scenes   - the battle continues with an episode enacted by two figures in the center,
                                                              arranged in horizontal registers, or friezes, the bronze decorative motifs   perhaps a surrender, guarded by warriors, their shields at rest on the right
                                                              raised in flat-surfaced relief and silhouetted against a sunken background   and left
                                                              bearing extensive remains of an inlaid paste, most likely a glass-frit-based
                                                              paste. Two distinct pictorial programs occur on contiguous sides of the   - three four-horse-drawn chariots with charioteers and streaming banners,
                                                              vessel; the front and back sides thus have different designs, and the designs   their armed escorts on foot, all in battle with the opponent
                                                              on the sides with handles differ from each other.
                                                                                                                                 - a two-story boat with warriors on the upper deck and oarsmen on the lower
                                                              As noted by the authors of the catalogue entry published in the inaugural   deck, with one figure on the upper deck pounding a jiangu drum to embolden
                                                              issue of the Kaikodo Journal (no. 1, Spring 1996), this vessel’s two decorative   the warriors and spur them on while keeping the oarsmen at pace
                                                              programs can be characterized as:
                                                                                                                                 - a mulberry orchard with numerous workers in long robes, perhaps women,
                                                              Program 1 (on two contiguous sides, reading from top to bottom)    engaged in picking and gathering mulberry leaves (to feed silkworms)
                           The current jar, program 1.                                                                                                                                                 The current jar, program 2.






          於器表。殘餘的填料現已軟化易碎，但成品填料竟能經受打磨的力度，足見當年的                誠如《懷古堂》圖錄創刊號 (1996年春第1期) 撰著者所言，此器的裝飾圖案可解析                          圖中有ˏ座殿ਕ 	正面透視
，垂脊ՉⒻ各棲ˏ鳥，室外ⅲ守衛֘神戒ҧ，殿Շ̣́              船ֱՉ層，˖層ૈՑ˩־，˗層ⅲ́執槳劃船，˖有ˏ́敲擊建鼓，͠鼓舞ૈ氣和指
          硬度應媲美水泥。填料如今色呈棕褐，其原色雖已無從稽考，但想必應與青銅器陽                如下：                                                                正隆而重̃ঃ̵換 	或合捧
 ˏ璧，正˗方有ˏ排ो馬及馬΄，՞往˗是ो隻被綑綁             揮劃槳快慢；
          紋之色澤 (氧化後現呈紅綠) 珠輝玉映、相得益彰。                                                                                              ⅲẸ虎，所放虎血滴落˗方烹鼎；
                                                              組圖一 (毗連兩面，由上至下)                                                                                                        桑林Շ有૨́ 	或為婦女
 ㌪着長袍，正採擷桑葉 	用於餵蠶
；
          觀乎是次拍賣的珍罕方壺，戰國時期誠為創意勃發的年代，除了引入前所未見的裝                                                                                   最˗方為ˏ座單層建築 	正面透視
，或是廚房，Շ有數۴烹鼎，Ӕ役正執棍錘打鼎
          飾技巧，紋飾類別與風格亦一新耳目。相形之下，較早的器物僅飾饕餮紋和別的寫                三層樓臺 (正面透視) 之上，左右各飾太陽、月亮，室內有數人，並設有諸般飲食器                            Շ食材ǐ                                                單層建築 	正面透視
，室Շ有́及各式器ḵ，۷有㌪⑨長袍者 	或為婦女
 在室外操
          意獸紋或抽象題材，但無特定的地點或清晰可辨的場景，而本拍品及相關實例皆有                皿，一樓的人們正從座子上的壺舀出飲料、注入盃內，二樓的人舉盃敬酒；                                                                                      持，據を是用機杼織布ǐ
          圖像化場景，呈現了各色人等在建築內部及其他場景的活動。除此之外，這類紋飾                                                                                   組圖̣ 	毗連Չ面，由˖至˗
          更蘊含敘事內容，即具有故事情節，雖則故事主題已無從得知。再者，由於相關的描               樂師們敲奏懸於簨簴的一組鐘磬，架子兩端以神獸承托，旁立一名鼓手，正敲擊一                                                                                   雖然故̢確ֲⅲ主題無從得≹，但各式場景將́о從̢ⅲバ般活動明確؟͠ڈֱ，
          寫是以同時期的繪畫 (傳世品幾近於無) 為基磫，所以這些圖像化器物也反映了當時             面碩大的建鼓 (即懸掛於柱上的鼓)；                                                 ˏ排高૯魁梧Ǐ手執≲戈ⅲ戰ૈ；                                     如攻戰Ǐ樂舞Ǐ烹調Ǐ宴飲等等，正如畫中巧用˙同ⅲ姿態和裝束Ϝ㏉別́ḵⅲ㌪
          快速演變的畫風。                                                                                                                                                                   份ǐ此外，́ḵ背景̷˙盡相同，如車馬Ǐ戰場Ǐ船Ǐ桑林或樑柱式建築 	層數各˙相
                                                              一排八名舞孃，皆身穿長袍，手揮拂塵及其他道具；                                            戰ૈ手執≲Ǐ戈與盾，酣戰̃際短Ց相接，正中ˏ́已㌪首₢處；                       同
ǐて等場景更⑨插̞ㅵ富ⅲ圖像♢節，バ如≲與戈，͠至車馬和船，或是Ẹ虎Ǐ野
          本拍品四面皆飾繁複的圖像紋場景，以水平分層或帶狀紋飾的方式呈現，青銅紋飾                                                                                                                                       ԷǏ鹿Ǐ鳥，乃至林林✼✼ⅲ貯存和烹調器Փ；此外，我о還能從中ˏ⒕殺虎放血等

          狀若浮雕，表面平整，減地背景仍殘留了大量原先鑲嵌的填料，如無意外應為玻璃                此乃弋獵場面，獵人們或手執弓箭長矛，或駕御旌旗飄揚的四馬車具，或徒步行進，                              同屬攻戰場面，正中̣́或已Ф首投降，Ւ盾放在左右Չ旁，側有Ցૈ⇐守；                  ۵老 	甚或現已式微
 ⅲ習Еǐ  ՞者，畫面中尚有飛鳥Ǐ逃避獵́ⅲ動ḵǏ劃槳者Ǐ
          質地。壺身毗連兩面為一組，各飾兩組不同的圖像；換言之，器身前後紋飾不一，帶               合力追捕鳥、鹿、野兔、野猪和老虎；                                                                                                      車馬Ǐ翩躚ⅲ舞孃與擊鼓鳴鐘ⅲ樂師，Ւ生動ҷ神鮮見於較早ⅲ青銅紋飾ǐ
          環耳的左右兩側亦圖像各異。                                                                                                          畫面有˕̊ो馬戰車，御者㌪後旌旗飄揚，側有手執Ց器ⅲ步Ց，合力衝鋒殺敵；
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