Page 139 - Sotheby's NYC September 20 2022 Forging An Empire Bronzes
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T H E N O B L E S O F T H E P A S T :
A D IS T I N G U IS H E D A R C H A I C
B R O N Z E F A N G Z U N
周宗商遺：西周長銘青銅方尊重器
emarkable for its monumental presence, this fang zun is a masterpiece of Western Zhou
bronzes. Fang zun are rare among all Zhou bronze forms, and even more so are ones with
Ra long documentary inscription of significant historical value. The present fang zun is
cast to the interior with a fifty-one-character inscription. The owner’s name is a compound pictogram
comprising a jian 柬 and a min 黽, which does not appear to have been associated with a modern
pronunciation. Therefore, we will refer to the name of the owner as Jian Min. The inscription records
that on the dingchou day of the jishengba 既生霸 lunar phrase of the 9th month, Gong 公 ordered Jian
Min to lead his subordinates to conduct a task at the land of Yan 炎. Jian Min reported to Gong that
the assignment was successfully completed without any mistakes. Jian Min gratefully lauded Gong’s
kindness and virtue. He then made this precious vessel to honor Xin Gong 辛公. This vessel was cast to
be used day and night for ancestor rituals and to be treasured eternally by his sons and grandsons for
ten thousand years.
This fang zun was first studied by Shimonaka Kunihiko, based on the materials provided by Umehara
Sueji, who saw this bronze in Mrs. Walter Sedgwick’s collection during his trip to Europe and America
between 1953 and 1954. In recent decades, Li Xueqin also published two dedicated articles on this vessel
本品青銅方尊，氣勢恢宏，肅穆嚴正，西周吉金大 本方尊最先被日本學者下中邦彥著錄研究，當時他
宗之作，世之重器無疑。方尊在周代青銅器中甚為 的研究資料是由梅原末治所提供。日本考古學家梅
稀罕，而鑄有記事性長銘者則更是寥寥可數，具有 原末治於1953至1954年訪問歐美，期間他在 Walter
非常重要的歷史價值。本次上拍的方尊內鑄五十一 Sedgwick 女士的收藏中看到了柬黽方尊，並對其進
字銘。作器者的名字為上下結構，上部從「柬」， 行了記錄及拓銘。此後，李學勤教授又陸續發表了
下部從「黽」，尚未知今時讀音，為方便書寫，今 兩篇關於柬黽方尊的專文（1990年，頁295-297，及
暫稱作器者為「柬黽」。方尊銘文大意為九月既生 2016年，頁91-93），並在文章裡將柬黽方尊與另外
霸丁丑日，公命柬黽率其僚屬前往一個名叫炎的地 兩件著名青銅器聯繫了起來：其一是藏於北京故宮
方處理公務，結束後柬黽向公覆命，報告任務順利 博物院的貝黽簋（圖一），其二為藏於上海博物館
完成，沒有出現紕漏。柬黽稱讚了公的恩德，然後 的繁卣（圖二）。兩器器銘均提到了公，且均為辛
鑄造了這尊紀念辛公的寶器，並日夜用以配祀宗 公作器，故其與本品銘的共通之處顯而易見。李學
廟，子子孫孫萬年永寶用。
136 POWER / CONQUEST: THE FORGING OF EMPIRES
