Page 51 - Sotheby's NYC September 20 2022 Forging An Empire Bronzes

A M A R R I A G E O F T W O

S T A T E S : T H E R E N O W N E D S A N

B O G U I

邦國之交：從散伯簋管窺散夨兩國

his impressive bronze vessel is one of the only four extant San Bo Gui, which have been Fig. 1 Zou An, Zhou jinwen cun [Surviving bronze inscriptions
treasured by renowned bronze connoisseurs and scholars since the late Qing dynasty. from the Zhou dynasty], vol. 3, 1915, p. 3
圖一 鄒安，《周金文存》，卷 3，1915年，頁3
TThe ‘San Bo Gui’ set is very well known in the world of jinshixue 金石學 (epigraphy). As
described by Laurence Sickman, ‘they are bronzes of high artistic merit and bear an inscription which
is already well known in Chinese literature on ancient writing’ (‘The Kuei of the Prince of San,’ Bulletin of
the Fogg Museum of Art, vol. IX, no. 2, March 1940, pp 29-29). Each of the four San Bo Gui is cast with a inscriptions at that time. Zou later obtained the inscription rubbings from Xu Naichang (1869-1946) and
same twelve-character inscription to both the vessel and the cover. The inscription can be translated to reproduced them in his book.
‘San Bo made this precious gui for Ze Ji, to be used eternally for ten thousand years’.
Among the four known extant San Bo Gui, the present vessel is the only one available in private hands;
Zou An (1864-1940) provided a detailed record about the ‘San Bo Gui’ set in his acclaimed book Zhou the remaining three are preserved in major museums in China and the United States. One (fig. 2),
jinwen cun [Surviving bronze inscriptions from the Zhou dynasty], vol. 3, 1915, p. 3 (fig. 1). Zou noted previously owned by Mr. Albert Y.P. Lee’s parents, Mr. Li Yingshuan and Mrs. Qiu Hui, who later donated
that the San Bo Gui were discovered in Fengxiang, Shaanxi province. There were originally five vessels, to the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is published in Chen Peifen, Xiashangzhou qingtongqi yanjiu [Study
two of which were acquired by Yu Shouping of Anhui, and two came into the possession of a governor of archaic bronzes from Shang, Shang and Zhou dynasties], Xizhou, vol. 1, Shanghai, 2004, pl. 334. The
of Fengxiang. In his text, Zou did not discuss the fifth gui. The two vessels that belonged to Yu were lost remaining two were acquired in 1939 by the Fogg Museum of Art, Cambridge. One (fig. 3), illustrated
after the collapse of the Qing dynasty. In 1912, one vessel appeared on the market in Shanghai and in Laurence Sickman, op. cit., p. 29, has remained in the museum (accession no. 1939.202); and the
was immediately bought by a gentleman by the name of Mr. Cheng. In 1914, the governor of Fengxiang other (fig. 4), subsequently collected by Irene and Earl Morse and Charlotte C. and John C. Weber
made known his pair, one of which had the inscriptions cast in mirror image (the present vessel). before entering the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 1988 (accession no. 1988.20.3a, b), was
Zou described the pair to have a brilliant, ancient green patina. Unfortunately, he was not able to included in the museum’s exhibition Spirit and Ritual. The Morse Collection of Ancient Chinese Art, The
purchase the pair as the governor’s asking price was very high, nor could he make an ink rubbing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1982, cat. no. 18.

本品為存世四件散伯簋之一，知名吉金重器。散伯簋 鄒安（1864-1940）在其著作《周金文存》中對散伯簋
太高，鄒氏無緣入藏，亦未能得一銘拓。所幸鄒安在 捐贈至上海博物館，並錄於陳佩芬所著《夏商周青銅
自晚清出土後一直備受青銅鑑賞名家與學者青睞。散 有著詳細記錄（卷3，1915年，頁3）（圖一）。鄒氏
此後從徐乃昌（1896-1946）處獲贈了一份拓本，並錄 器研究》，西周上，上海，2004年，圖版334。另外兩
伯簋在中外金石界廣為人知，正如美國藝術史學家勞 記散伯簋於陝西鳳翔出土。原共五器，其二由安徽余
入所著書中。 件則在1939年由劍橋福格藝術博物館購得，其中一件
倫斯 • 史克門所言：「它體現了古人超凡卓絕的青銅 壽平所得，另外兩件則由陝西鳳翔某太守收藏。鄒氏
（圖三）現仍藏於該館（館藏編號1939.202），並錄
工藝，更見其銘文著錄聞名於世」（〈The Kuei of the 並未論及第五器之所踪。余壽平所藏的兩件散伯簋在 如今存世四件散伯簋中，僅本簋可流通，其餘三器均
於勞倫斯 • 史克門，前述出處，頁29，另一件（圖
Prince of San〉，《Bulletin of the Fogg Museum of Art》 清朝覆沒後散佚，其中之一在1912年重現上海市場， 已被中美知名博物館所收藏。三件之一曾由李爾白先
四）此後先後為 Irene 及 Earl Morse 伉儷及 Charlotte C.
，卷6，期2，1940年3月，頁29）。存世四件散伯簋每 旋即由程氏購藏。1914年，前述鳳翔太守亦攜其兩件 生的父母李蔭軒先生與邱輝女士所藏（圖二），後被
及 John C. Weber 伉儷收藏，並於1988年入藏紐約大都
件器內及蓋內均鑄有十二字銘文「散伯作夨姬寶簋 其 散伯簋來，其中一件的器、蓋銘為鏡像文字（即本
萬年永用」。 品）。鄒安形容其為蒼翠耀目。可惜，當時太守索價

48 POWER / CONQUEST: THE FORGING OF EMPIRES