Page 26 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of art

Examples of finely inlaid bronze fanghu vessels of this size and
decoration are rare. Compare a smaller bronze inlaid fanghu (38.8cm
high), Warring States period, excavated in Changde City, Hunan
Province in 1993, with a similarly decorated zigzag design but without
malachite inlay, illustrated in Zhongguo kaoguxue nianjian: 1996,
Beijing, 1998, p.208. It appears that bronze vessels with malachite
and copper inlay were more popular in Northern China, see for
example a bronze copper and malachite inlaid fanghu with leiwen
design excavated in Hebei in 1997, Warring States period, illustrated
in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji, vol.9, Beijing, 1997, p.158, pl.155.
Another related copper and malachite inlaid fanghu with geometric
design was excavated in Henan, and is now in the National Museum
of China, illustrated in ibid., vol.8, p.126, pl.142. See also three related
examples in the Shanghai Museum: a copper and malachite inlaid
fanghu with leiwen design, and two silver and malachite inlaid fanghu
vessels with an overall diamond pattern, late Warring states period,
illustrated by Chen Peifen, Xia shang zhou qingtongqi yanjiu: dongzhou
bian 2, Shanghai, 2004, pp.438-442, pls.624-626.

方壺厚唇，方頸微斂，溜肩下滑，鼓腹下收，圈足頗高，方正略侈，
胸部兩側鑄銜環鋪首，全器以錯金線界圖，圖案内嵌松石，口沿下飾
幾何形三角形一周，仰覆兩層，上層錯金，下層嵌松石，再下一層飾
一周錯金卷雲紋，空檔填以松石，胸腹紋飾亦是以此安排，惟圈足錯
簡化鳳鳥紋飾，轉折起框處填以松石，配民國硬木嵌癭木盒。

此器宏製規整，金絲松石華麗炫目，體量如是者十分少見，而錯金嵌
松石者更難一求。1993年湖南常德市出土一件戰國錯金銅方壺，高
38.8公分，錯金紋飾同此件頗似，俱是三角形蕉葉紋，然不見嵌有松
National Museum of China, Beijing 石，見《中國考古學年鑒1996》，北京，1998年，頁208。嵌松石的
中國國家博物館藏 戰國方壺似乎集中於北方，可比較1977年河北出土的一件戰國中期
勾連雲雷紋方壺，形制和本件類似，錯紅銅嵌松石，見《中國青銅器
全集》，北京，1997年，卷9，圖版155，頁158；河南亦曾出土一件
戰國中晚期錯紅銅幾何紋飾嵌松石方壺，現藏中國國家博物館，見前
書，卷8，圖版142，頁126。上海博物館藏有數件戰國錯金屬嵌寶石
的鋪首方壺可資參考，其中一件戰國晚期鑲嵌雲紋方壺，錯紅銅嵌松
石，另兩件戰國晚期鑲嵌菱形紋和幾何紋方壺則錯銀絲嵌松石，見陳
佩芬著，《夏商周青銅器研究：東周篇下》，上海，2004年，圖版
624-626，頁438-442。

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