Page 30 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

Remarkable for its tall, elegant shape and complex high-relief
Lot 1 illustrated by R.W.Bagley, Shang Ritual
Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections,
Cambridge, 1987, p.303, fig.49.12
R.W.Bagley，《Shang Ritual Bronzes in the
Arthur M. Sackler Collections》，英國劍
橋，1987年，頁303，圖版49.12
28 | BONHAMS
decoration with leiwen spirals, this gu is an outstanding example of the
late Shang dynasty.
Gu vessels were used as sacrificial wine receptacles and were among
the most important objects used in State rituals during the late Shang
dynasty. Although reference to the name gu is frequently found in early
ritual texts, it became associated with the present vessel type in the
catalogues of antiquities produced by Song dynasty scholars (960-
1279). The shape appears to have originated in pottery production
of the Neolithic period, which came in various sizes and shapes. The
bronze version, however, probably emerged in the Erligang period
(c.1510-1460 BC) and became popular during the Yinxu period (1250-
1192 BC), when it became an important component of ritual vessels.
While gu vessels produced during the early phases of the Shang
dynasty were short and stout, decorated with simple taotie designs
merely suggested by eyes amidst linear decoration, the refinement
of shape and ornamentation took place towards the later phases of
the Shang dynasty, as bronze-casting technique gained in skill and
experience. By the time that the Shang capital moved from Zhengzhou
to Anyang in Henan Province, gu vessels depicted more detailed taotie
designs, which were often complemented with new animal shapes.
While retaining some early features of the Erligang phase of the Shang
dynasty, notably the sturdy trumpet-shaped body, the finely-detailed
and lively taotie masks depicted with bulging eyes on the frieze convey
a distinctive sculptural appearance and point to a casting finesse more
typical of the later phases of the Shang dynasty.
A number of comparable examples of gu vessels dating to the late
Shang period have been excavated in Henan, Shanxi, Hubei and
Anhui Provinces. Compare with a related bronze gu vessel, 13th-11th
century, displaying a similarly-shaped body and taotie decoration
on the frieze, illustrated by Wang Tao, Chinese Bronzes from the
Meiyintang Collection, London, 2009, p.39, no.13. See also another
archaic bronze gu vessel, Late Shang Dynasty, from the collection of
Mr and Mrs Kress, Finland, illustrated by P.K.M.Kwok, Dialogue with
the Ancients. 100 Bronzes of the Shang, Zhou, and Han Dynasties.
The Shen Zhai Collection, Singapore, 2018, pp.222-223, no.42C.
another bronze gu vessel, 13th century BC, illustrated by R.Bagley,
Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington
DC, 1987, pp.258-9, no.40.
A related bronze gu vessel, late Shang dynasty, was sold at Christie’s
New York, 20 September 2010, lot 1472.
觚，為盛酒之禮器，是商周宗廟祭祀的代表器之一。此種器型始見於
新石器時代陶器，商早期二里崗上層出土了現存最早的青銅觚，至
商晚期逐漸盛行，殷墟有大量出土。商早期的青銅觚矮而寬，紋飾簡
單，之後器型不斷變細加高，頸部腹部逐漸收束，兩者直徑趨於一
致，裝飾紋樣也益發繁複。
本器侈口，長頸，中腹微鼓，圈足外撇，足底直緣。腹飾獸面紋，
獸眼鼓脹凸出，上下飾連珠紋帶，是商晚期的典型器物。
類似商晚期的例子於河南、山西、湖北和安徽等地多有出土。對比一
件公元前十三至十一世紀青銅觚，器型及紋飾與本例相似，收錄於汪
濤著，《玫茵堂藏中國銅器》，倫敦，2009年，頁39，編號13；
以及芬蘭Kress伉儷收藏一例商晚期青銅觚，收錄於P.K.M.Kwok著，
《Dialogue with the Ancients. 100 Bronzes of the Shang, Zhou, and
Han Dynasties. The Shen Zhai Collection》，新加坡，2018年，
頁222-223，編號42C。另可參考一件公元前十三世紀青銅觚，收
錄於R.Bagley著，《Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler
Collections》，華盛頓，1987年，頁258-259，編號40。
一件商晚期青銅觚，售於紐約佳士得，2010年9月20日，拍品編號
1472，可為比對。