Page 105 - Deydier The_Lippens_Collection_of_Ancient_Chinese_Bronzes

尊

28 – archaic bronze wine vessel zun
SHANG DYNASTY, ANYANG / YINXU PERIOD
CIRCA 14 – 12 / 11 CENTURIES B. C.
TH
TH
TH
H: 33.5 CM D.: 36 CM
Rare archaic bronze wine vessel zun. The wide-shouldered vessel,
with a large body and a much narrower neck that flares outwards
as it rises, is supported by an outwardly spreading ring foot. The
body and the foot are each cast with three large taotie masks on
a tightly spiralled leiwen background. Each mask, formed of a pair
of kui dragons shown in profile and confronting each other over a
vertical flange, is separated from its neighbour by vertical notched
flanges. The taotie masks on the vessel’s body are each topped by
a frieze decorated with pairs of confronting long-tailed birds on a
leiwen background.
The zun’s narrow sloping shoulder is sumptuously decorated with
three large horned bovine masks cast in the round surrounded by
kui dragons on a leiwen background separated from each other by
short notched flanges.
The vessel’s widely flaring neck is cast in low relief with a band of
three pairs of stylized confronting kui dragons on a leiwen back-
ground, topped by large upright cicada-shaped lappets.
The zun has a black patina.

INSCRIPTION

– A single pictograph cast in the interior of the vessel reads “Bi”,
probably a clan name.

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