Page 183 - Deydier VOL.2 Meiyintang Collection of Chinese Bronses

193. Ritual bronze wine vessel zun
Middle Western Zhou dynasty, circa 10 - 8 centuries bc.
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西周中期青銅尊
Height: 15.7 cm, Diameter: 17 cm

A ritual bronze wine vessel zun with a wide, pear-shaped Provenance:
lower body surmounted by a tapering neck that gradually ▪ Private Collection, Hong Kong.
turns outwards at its top to form a wide, eave-like rim. ▪ Galerie Christian Deydier, Paris, France.
The body is cast on its front and back with two large
confronting birds shown in profile, with long, elaborate Similar example:
tails and crests on a leiwen background. The base of the ▪ A zun with very similar large bird motifs dating from
vessel’s neck is cast with a narrower frieze decorated with the reign of King Mu (Middle Western Zhou dynasty),
pairs of much smaller birds with long tails and crests, and coming from Zhuangbai Hoard 1 excavated
shown in profile, the central pairs of which face each other at Fufeng, Shaanxi province, and now in the Baoji
over finely cast animal masks in high relief. The upper Zhouyuan Museum, is published by the National Palace
neck of the vessel is decorated on its front and back with Museum, The Cultural Grandeur of the Western Zhou
two large, sumptuously tailed birds, shown in profile, on Dynasty, Beijing 2012, p. 202 - 203, no. 101.
a leiwen background.
The vessel has a nice black patina.

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