Page 18 - Nov. 27 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Desk Objects

fig. 1 Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
எӬ இ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅

2802 Continued

The graph cast on the interior of the vessel is the symbol of an 䀢ᐙᯒᙹ৶卿ӳ⛁ݦ⪆卿᳅⭬ᇤ䀦卿ߎ㇂卿ӴᐂӲᠨ㑷ǯᶕ႙㱈㵶᱙㫌
important clan in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. This graph has been Ɽ⡠卿ս⡿༗⩧㇧⒚⎏㫡㫥஠⡠⏟㇏卿⤇ᢣ᳅ߴ卿㑌֛ᝳ⯎卿❧㦪ᥑ⠢卿
interpreted as li, a tripod vessel with two handles, or bing, the third ᱙㫌Ɽ⡠ӳݻ࠼㱈㩽⤇卿ᦔᎰӲྉⱤ⡠ǯӲ㙣㧩ᢣᆨᏙᣥ㪪ᆨ⧡ᙻ⯝Ӳ
celestial stem in the ten tiangan (Celestial Stems) system in the Shang
dynasty. However, the exact meaning of this graph is still subject to 㑷⏟ཌ⎏଍㕇஋䀦⽔卿㯝㛑㧿սӲ㙣⒜Ꮩᣥ卿ᏙᣥݦڬமࡵࡷǸ*ǹǮǸ5ǹ
scholarly debate and the latest academic opinion holds that the graph ᆨ㩽⤇ǯ㯝㱈ӬॶӲ⢑ս⒜Ꮩᣥ⏟ཌ⎏ഀ⡠卿ഌ㯔ᆌऑ卿㕇ᝢ 4 ᆨ卿ཫ
is undecipherable. The prominent archaeologist Zou Heng argues that शӳ୪ࡷ卿⭬㛑ս㧩Ꮩᣥἃཌ♑㱈Ӳٖ㲎㱬⡠卿Ӭཌ஋ᆨഌ␓ⅸ⚇߅卿
this graph depicts a certain type of pottery li vessel, which is typical ␓ⅸӳᝳ $ ᆨݤ࣍㈍卿ݦڬᝳ᧦⶟ᆨ⪆卿㧩㕇࣍ཫ卿㕇Ӵ⒜㑷߿ֳ卿ߧ
of the Xindian culture, Siwa culture, and pre-dynastic Zhou culture in
Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, and therefore is a symbol of an ancient ‣ᆌ㧷卿ᠨ㑷㩽⤇㱈㫡㫥⡠ӴᓞӲ㈍⡠ǯݤ೅㦪Ӭໃᚉᇯǯ
clan that encompasses these three cultures, see Zou Heng, ‘A Study ទ䀢⎏㠺ᙔἃਦॶᛞឆӬٖ㞒㇝᭄ᚉ⎏ᚉᇯǯཌ㊃ໃ⎏㞐㍡᫓׹ᝳ
of the Chou Culture’, Xia Shang Zhou kaoguxue lunwen ji (Essays on
the Archaeology of Hsia, Shang and Chou Dynasties), Beijing, 1980, Ǹ㶹ǹǮǸӿǹ✙㊯ᯧ卿⏖߿ᝬᙲ⎏ໝワ㈊㿽㊘ἃ᫉ໃབӶज┱㍃ǯⶬ
pp. 348-51. He further surmises that, "the li clan in the Shaanxi are the ल⩠ऒໝ།㛵ヹཆ᫉ໃ⯝㩰Ǯ≼ݦ⏥㗞ᄕᙔࢇǮཀ⚤ᙔࢇকݎॶᙔࢇԋ
same as the Jiang clan in the ancient literature and may also be the ⎏ݱ௛㪃଍ 㵶㯅ߎ㇂㶹הᬘ㖅卿㊘ἃ㊃ᚉᇯἃǸ㶹ǹໃ卿ջヿࡺᑐӳ
clan of the Yan Emperor," see ibid, p. 351. In 1976 and 1985, a large 㘚Ӳ♎ᙔࢇஙݤ⎏Ӭٖऒᚉ卿Ԇ㙊Ӭ᫊⢙भᙔ℣ক⩠ऒ㏱ᙠ⊒㋏Ǹ㩰㇛
number of bronzes bearing this clan sign were found in Jingjie village,
Lingshi, Shanxi province. Some scholars interpreted this clan sign ⎏㶹ᚉལᛓᙔ℣ӳᏒ㊯⎏එඊᚉ卿Ԯज⬒ལᛓᏒ㋵ỢႽᚉǹ卿㇦㛵ヹ卿
as bing, one of the ten tiangan (Celestial Stems) clans of the Shang Ǵ㋏ݎॶᙔࢇ•卿Ƕ೽ਦॶ⩠ऒໝ㋏ᙔ㫀Ƿ卿࢈՗卿 ჺ卿㮰
Dynasty, which was based in the modern day Lingshi area in Shanxi ǯ Ǯ ჺ⩠ऒໝ།ݎᇌݦ᪖ஙྒྷ㇛㬦⒢ᚆլឭ⎉→ഌ㞔჌ᝳ㊃
province, see Hai Jinle and Han Binghua ed., Shanxi Provincial Institute ᚉᇯ⎏㬪㠩଍卿ӬՋໝ⩢㊘ἃ㊃ᚉᇯἃǸӿǹ卿ᛓਦջࢦ഍ჸ᭄ᚉԠӬ
of Archaeology, Lingshi Jingjie Shangmu, Beijing, 2006, pp. 196-202. ⎏ӿᚉ卿⪝཰ஙի഍⎏ྒྷ㇛㬦⒢ᚆլӬ჌卿㇦ྒྷ㇛⏥⩠ऒⒺ♾Ꮢᱡ㞖ᦼ卿
The discovery in Lingshi, Shanxi province yielded the largest known
group of bronzes bearing this clan sign, although bronzes with this 㮐ỽⵖ⤔Ƕ㬦⒢ᚆլਦತǷ卿࢈՗卿 ჺ卿㮰 ǯ㩶᫉սം卿
clan sign have been found in Shaanxi, Henan, Shandong, Liaoning, and ㊃ᚉ଍⁒ங㩰㇛ǮᯇࢶǮྒྷែǮ㚅༱Ǯ࢈՗⎐ᝳ⎉→卿ֿஙᬂਦᛞឆ㊃
Beijing as well. There are also several handed-down bronzes with this ᚉ㠩଍ᝬ㫀ԋ⎉→⎏஠㿽խ὞ᛓྒྷ㇛㬦⒢ǯ۔ӽ㊃ᚉ㠩଍ԋ卿ᬘ㖅ⶬल
clan sign including the famous Li fangding formerly in the Wu Dacheng ⎏ᝳॕഌḄ⯠⻦卿→⻦ٳᘹഌⲖࢷ⁒㱦⎏Ƕ㚖ᙹ䀢Ƿ卿ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴Ꮢ⻦
(1835-1902) Collection, now in The British Museum, the Yu Zu Ding
you in the Palace Museum, and a late Shang ding formerly in the Duan Ƕᬗ▭ӭࢾǷ卿⛘ᙹ⯠⻦卿→⻦ⱐ࠼ড়⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⎏㲎㱬⡠஋䀢✙׾ǯ
Fang (1861-1911) Collection and now in The Art Institute of Chicago. ऒᙔໃໝ།׍ᜀᎰஙݯǶਦॶ㬪㠩଍᭄ᚉ㠺ᙔǷӬᝧԋսǶᬗ▭ӭࢾǷ
In his monograph on the Shang dynasty clan signs, He Jingcheng 㠺ᙔԋ㊃᭄ᚉᎰ৘ࣻ⯝ਦℳ◂▚ݎ▭Ԇℛ㐁⫶⪼⎏㉃㖊ἃ،ᗌ卿ᑨ߅ទ
suggested that people from this clan“are a branch of the Shang royal ᭄ᚉǸ⯝ਦℳἃऱඊ໵ᚉ卿ᛓᇖਦℳᚉԋߎ㫘߅׹⎏Ӭٖᚉྏǯ⯝㊃ᚉ
family who was sent to establish a stronghold in Shanxi province”, see ⏟㨸⎏㬦⒢ᚆլӬ჌卿፽㊃ᛓ⊐ਦℳᚉ⎏Ꮀ৘ஙᬂ㛢սംᏒᅤ⛁⎏Ӭٖ
Shangzhou qingtongqi shizu mingwen (Clan Inscriptions on the Shang
and Zhou bronzes), Jinan, 2009, pp. 133-138. In any regards, there is no ᗌ㿽ǹ卿㇦Ƕਦॶ㬪㠩଍᭄ᚉ㠺ᙔǷ卿Ṓࢶ卿 ჺ卿㮰 ǯὍ
doubt that the owner of the present liding was from a clan of very high ㋏ൈ׍卿ទ䀢ྏਦջ㞒㇝᭄ᚉὍ⋕卿Ԯगᝳ஠ׅ࿶㵶⎏᭄ᚉᏝ⬒ᖸᝳ㘺
status and only so can he/she commission a bronze of this caliber. ᧙⠢⧻⢞ٳ⎏㬪㠩଍ǯ

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