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A rare archaic bronze ritual wine vessel, jia
Mid Shang dynasty, Erligang culture
Raised on three curved hollow blade-like legs, the compressed globular
body surmounted by a flared rim, cast with a band of elongated taotie
masks centered on narrow flanges, one side cast with a simple flattened
‘C’-shaped handle, the flared rim set with a pair of finials cast with
sunken whorl circles.
26.8cm high.
HK$200,000 - 300,000
US$26,000 - 39,000
商中期 二里岡文化 獸面紋斝
The tripod vessel jia retains the Erligang manner of design and is notable
for its three hollow triangular feet. As these vessels were created using
primitive moulding techniques, the complicated process required great
accuracy, and was considered an extremely difficult feat to achieve. A
similar jia vessel is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated
in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998,
pp.148-151, no.8. See also an example in the Arthur Sackler collection,
illustrated by Robert Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M.
Sackler Collection, Washington, 1987, pp.148-151, no.2. See also a
similar excavated example also dated to the mid Shang dynasty, showing
similar tripod feet and form, unearthed at Henan province in 1954, in
the Henan Provincial Museum, Henan province, illustrated in Zhongguo
Qingtongqi Quanji 1. Xia Shang 1, Beijing, 1996, p.94, no.95.

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