Page 65 - Deydier VOL.2 Meiyintang Collection of Chinese Bronses

159. Ritual bronze wine vessel jue
Xia Dynasty, Erlitou period, circa 19 - 16 centuries bc.
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夏代二里頭文化期青銅爵
Height: 13.2 cm, Length: 14.2 cm

A bronze tripod cup jue used for warming fermented Provenance:
beverages. The body of the oval, flat-bottomed vessel ▪ Galerie Christian Deydier, Paris, France.
narrows in its centre before opening outwards as it rises
towards its top. The vessel is supported by three short, Similar examples:
outwardly-extending triangular legs which taper off to ▪ Several bronze jue of the Erlitou period of different
end in pointed, almost sword-blade-like tips. A semi- sizes and forms are illustrated in Deydier Ch., Les
circular handle extends from just below the upper lip of Bronzes Archaïques Chinois - Archaic Chinese
the vessel to the centre of the vessel’s oval lower body. Bronzes - I - Xia & Shang, Paris 1995, p. 16 to 30 and
The centre of the handle is cast with a small round motif in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji, Vol. 1 - Xia - Shang,
in open work. A long spout without tendons extends from Beijing 1996, nos. 2 to 10.
the front of the vessel’s oval-shaped body. ▪ Two jue in the Meiyintang Collection are illustrated by
Wang Tao in Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang
The vessel has a light green patina. Collection, London 2009, nos. 2 and 3.
▪ Other jue from the Erlitou period, but with a quite
different shape, all excavated from Erlitou in 1975, are
illustrated in Henan Chutu Shang Zhou Qingtongqi,
Vol. 1, Beijing 1981, p. 17, no. 1, p. 18, no. 2 and p. 19,
no. 5.

Note:
▪ This bronze’s lack of tendons is typical of most of the
small-sized jue vessels from the Erlitou period.

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