Page 190 - Deydier VOL.2 Meiyintang Collection of Chinese Bronses

195. Ritual bronze wine or water vessel lei
Eastern Zhou dynasty, Spring and Autumn period, circa 8 - 5 centuries bc.
th
th
東周春秋時期青銅罍
Height: 28 cm, Width: 30 cm

An archaic bronze wine or water vessel lei, cast in the Provenance:
shape of an ovoid jar with a flat base, a long rounded, ▪ G. Croës, Brussels Belgium, 1993.
sloping shoulder and a wide, contracted neck topped by ▪ Frank Arts Collection, Antwerp, Belgium.
an outwardly turning flat rim. The vessel’s shoulder and ▪ Galerie Christian Deydier, Paris, France.
inwardly sloping lower section are both decorated with a
register of complex S-shaped stylized dragons with two Exhibited:
heads, one at each of the animal’s extremities. Two small ▪ European Fine Art Fair - Maastricht, G. Croës, Brussels
handles fixed to the vessel’s sloping shoulders are topped 1993, catalogue p. 20 - 21.
with small taotie masks. ▪ The Frank Arts Collection / Fine Art Asia, Hong Kong,
Galerie Christian Deydier, Paris 2011, catalogue no. 13.
The vessel has a dark green, black and maroon patina. ▪ Trésors de la Chine ancienne, Bronzes Rituels De La
Collection Meiyintang, Musée des arts asiatiques
Guimet, Paris 13 mars - 10 juin 2013, catalogue no. 74.
Published:
▪ Croës G., European Fine Art Fair - Maastricht,
Brussels 1993, p. 20 - 21.
▪ Deydier Ch., The Frank Arts Collection / Fine Art Asia,
Hong Kong, Paris 2011, p. 40 - 41, no. 13.
▪ Guimet, Musée des arts asiatiques, Trésors de la
Chine ancienne, Bronzes Rituels De La Collection
Meiyintang, Paris 2013, p. 121, no. 74.
Similar examples:
▪ A similar lei is recorded by Hayashi M., Shunju Sengoku
Jidai Seidoki no Kenkyu (In Shu Seidoki Soran San)
Studies of Bronzes from the Spring and Autumn and
Warring States Periods, Conspectus of Yin and Zhou
Bronzes, Tokyo 1989, Vol. III, pages 123 - 124.
▪ A similar vessel from the Worcester Art Museum,
U.S.A., is illustrated by So J., Eastern Zhou Ritual
Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections,
Volume III, Washington 1995, p. 208, fig. 31.1.
▪ Another quite similar vessel from the Guimet Museum
is published by Girard- Geslan M., Bronzes Archaïques
de Chine, Paris 1995, p. 156 - 157.

Note:
▪ Ancient texts describe the lei as being used for holding
both water and wine.
▪ Sometimes, lei were also called bu.

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