Page 20 - Nov. 27 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Desk Objects

fig. 2 Sold at Christie's New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1517
எՀ ⡥⡙צ೥ᇑ ჺ ᝲ ᚚ ᐽ৅ ⽚

2802 Continued

This magnificent liding attests to the artistic sensitivity and technical ទ䀢⡠㱈⠢⧻卿㙁௛ⴃ㞒卿༶࣡⎏Ꮩᣥႛ൘⎏ಫ᳎Ի଍⁒⎏㵲♥ዷক᭔
advancement in the pinnacle of bronze casting in the late Shang ࡥ卿⯝࣡༰⎏㫐⪆⏟ᇑ⎽ᆳ卿ᛓਦॶ㶹䀢ԋཐᝳ⎏㪾ഞ⇷㿃Ԡהǯⵖ⏇
dynasty. Rarely seen on liding, the thick, notched flanges serve as a 㯀ᅹߧ‰⧻ワ㱦⻦ᝳӬ։ਦᛮឆऱ㯸଍卿㇦ + " 1PQF ⤔卿Ƕ5IF 'SFFS
device in extending the volume of this ritual vessel and echo to the
thick, outward-turned bail handles which in turn give the ritual vessel $IJOFTF #SPO[FTǷ卿ⵖ⏇㯀卿 ჺ卿࣍ *卿எ‸ 卻 卼ǯᅹߧ‰
an up-lifting appearance. A similar late Shang liding from the Freer 㶹䀢⎏଍ᆨǮ⡠㱈⯝᫉଍㯄ἃ⏟ַ卿὞⡿༳ԠӴទ㶹䀢⡠㱈⎏ヿ→ߺᝤ
Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., is illustrated in J.A. Pope et al., The ἃ⠢⡿卿ᝤ༛⛁㵲ዷ卿⁞ߣᛓங଍⭬কᏙᣥ⎏㙁௛ӳᝤ㰆᳾஋㱇ᶕԠࡥǯ
Freer Chinese Bronzes, Washington, D.C., 1967, vol. I, pl. 31 (47.11). இ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦ᝳӬ։ਦᛮឆ㶹䀢卿ἃ᳖༈⯠⻦卿㇦Ƕᘢ༈ਦջ㬪㠩
The Freer liding shares a similar form and decoration with the present
example but has a somewhat rigid silhouette. A liding with similar ◶଍எ㢙Ƿ卿झ࢈卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿⤔⽚ 卻ॲː卼ǯ㊃׾⭬㖅᳍卿
high-relief-cast taotie masks on the sides, but with low-relief taotie in ᠨ㑷ݏ⡵⡿㧩卿 ⡠㱈ᦔஎ⯝᫉଍⏟ַ卿਒㯝㛑㱈᳍᱙㫌⎏㲎㱬⡠卿㦪㙁
the frieze below the rim, and lacking the intaglio decoration on the legs, Ӷ≾⠢ǯऔजᬘ㖅ᄃ։ਦᛮឆ⎏㶹䀢卿⭬㱈㵶᱙㫌℡㬷卿㯝㛑㱈Ӭॶ゗
from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Shang Ritual ⡠卿㑷⎐ݏ⡵Ὅ⡠卿ൈ㐠ݐࡘᘘ⻦ԋ⎏Ӭ׾卿㖊ᙻ 3 8 #BHMFZ卿Ƕ4IBOH
Bronzes in the Palace Museum Collection, Taipei, 1998, pp. 216-19, no. 3JUVBM #SPO[FT JO UIF "SUIVS . 4BDLMFS $PMMFDUJPOTǷ卿ⵖ⏇㯀卿 ჺ卿
24 (fig. 1). Other liding of similar date, and with related taotie masks
cast in relief, but with a frieze of cicadas below the rim and also 㮰 厎ᏊݐᎰⶬǶ-FT #SPO[FT $IJOPJTǷ卿Ⴃ㿰卿 ჺ卿㮰
lacking the intaglio decoration on the legs, include one illustrated by ⶬ㢙Ԡ⤔⽚ 卻☑㪏 .VTFVN G}S 0TUBTJBTUJDIF ,VOTU ⻦ ক⤔⽚ 卻⁇
R.W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, ᰥ "TINPMFBO .VTFVN ⻦ 厎սࣿ⡥⡙צ೥ᇑ ჺ ᝲ ᚚᐽ㐈Ӭ
Washington, D.C., 1987, pp. 484-85; two illustrated by C. Deydier, Les ׾卿ᐽ৅⤔⽚ 卻ॲ̤卼ǯ⅌Ⳍలᘘ⻦ԋᝳӬ։଍ᆨǮ⡠㱈⏟㘆⎏㶹
Bronzes Chinois, Paris, 1980, p. 215, nos. 1 (Museum für Ostasiastiche
Kunst, Cologne) and 2 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford); and the example 䀢卿ཨ༿㖅ཎ卻㵶 ݩߎ卼卿⡠㱈⎐ἃ᳍᱙㫌ӻ㯝㛑㱈⛀ᝢ⡠卿㖊ᙻ
sold at Christie's New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1517 (fig. 2). Compare ᏊݐᎰⶬ卿Ƕ$IJOFTF #SPO[FT GSPN UIF .FJZJOUBOH $PMMFDUJPOǷ卿7PM
also a smaller liding (16.4 cm.) with a similar decoration executed in low "OOFYF卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿⤔⽚ ǯ⥍㈊ӳ㘚㋭׾Ӷ㫙⏭߅ទ㶹
relief from the Meiyintang Collection, illustrated by C. Deydier, Chinese 䀢┱ἃऱ㯸଍ԋ⎏ׯׯ⩢卿݋ߎ㵲→Ի㬪㠩⻱ワႍ࿨ਦջᛮឆႛള഍႙
Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1: Annexe, 2013, pp. 118-119, ⎏㙁௛㉑㈷ক㦪㙁႙⻱᭢ჹǯ
no. 70.
The present liding claims an impeccable provenance. In the early ទ䀢᱁۔ᝳᄑ卿ἃՀࢦӽ⡕ߝԋஇऒⶸႜਦ⏑Ⱬ䁗卻 卼⣌Ꮫ卿
twentieth century, it was handled by the legendary Chinese art dealer ݎᇌ⊐⡥⡙႔᭢⁇ఉ ( . ( ֛ᝩഏ՞কآՓآ႔㩛ݐٳࢷ⁒㱦ᘘ⻦ǯ
C.T. Loo (1881-1957) and was owned by Mrs G. M. G. Forman in ⶬलໝ⩢㪀ഉ།ݎ⊂ᙻ ჺ㧿ᔺ㫀⧻இᘘ⻦ਦॶ㬪㠩଍ᛞᙻ⏑Ⱬ
Buffalo, New York and Akron Art Museum, Ohio, subsequently. It was 䁗⽔ᇑߪ᫉଍⎏ؼቱԆᘘ㢙ᙻݯᇌ߅‸⎏Ƕ⧻ႽஇԖ⨒ࡄᓙ⎏Ꮁஇᬂॶ
included by the preeminent scholar Chen Mengjia in his seminal work
on Shang and Zhou bronzes, Meidiguo zhuyi jielue di woguo yinzhou 㬪㠩଍㫀㢙ǷӬᝧԋǯՀࢦӽ⡕ᇌࢮ⶟卿᫉଍ࣽݣ㑤᭄ྒྷᱡ᧊Ⅷ⻦卿Ԇ
qingtongqi jilu. Chen visited the U.S. between 1944-47 and compiled ⊐औӬׅԋஇऒⶸႜਦٳᘹంᙱࢽ⡢䁖⣌Ꮫǯ
a comprehensive survey of Chinese archaic bronzes in American
collections. This liding was also owned by acclaimed collectors Bella
and P.P. Chiu and passed through the renowned Chinese art dealer
Giuseppe Eskenazi.

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