Page 84 - Deydier The_Lippens_Collection_of_Ancient_Chinese_Bronzes

盂

22 – bronze food vessel xiao xing yu
SHANG DYNASTY, ANYANG / YINXU PERIOD
CIRCA 14 – 12 / 11 CENTURIES B. C.
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H.: 18 CM D.: 25 CM
Archaic bronze ritual food vessel yu. The bowl-shaped body with
an everted lip is cast on its lower round section with two large
taotie masks on a tightly spiralled leiwen background. Each mask
is formed of a pair of kui dragons shown in profile and confronting
each other over a vertical flange.
The neck of the vessel is decorated with a band of triangular styl-
ized cicada in the form of scroll-filled blades above a frieze of pairs
of kui dragons shown in profile and confronting each other over a
small taotie or animal mask in the round, on a leiwen background.
The pedestal base is decorated with kui dragons shown in profile
and confronting one another over a vertical flange to form a taotie
mask, all on a leiwen background.
The vessel has a green patina
INSCRIPTION

– One single character, probably a clan name, is cast inside the vessel.

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