Page 38 - Deydier UNDERSTANDING CHINESE ARCHAIC BRONZES

The fangyi 方彝 form, known in pottery since the neolithic period, also
appears in white marble during the Shang 商 dynasty. The first fangyi
方彝 in bronze seems to have appeared at the beginning of the Yinxu
殷墟 period of the Shang 商 dynasty or perhaps during the transitional
phase between the end of the Erligang 二里崗 period and the beginning
of the Yinxu 殷墟 period around the 14 century B.C..
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The fangyi 方彝 disappears at the beginning of the Western Zhou 西
周 dynasty after having undergone some morphological changes such
as the addition of flanges, or protruding design parts, or even lateral
handles in the shapes of elephant trunks, making the later-period
vessels look quite Baroque.

Fu 簠

The term fu 簠 was employed very early on in classical texts to refer to
a vessel used to hold offerings of millet during rituals.

This oblong vessel of rectangular form with upwardly sloping sides in
its lower section, is supported by a flared foot and topped by a cover of
the same shape and size as its body but in reverse, which can be used
as a second receptacle when placed upside-down.

The fu 簠 appears during the end of the Western Zhou 西周 period,
or, more precisely, at the end of the 9 century B.C. and becomes very
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popular during the subsequent Spring and Autumn 春秋 period (circa
770 – 476 B.C.).

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Fu, early Spring and Autumn period (circa 8 – 7 centuries B.C.)
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Height: 21 cm, length: 36.5 cm – Meiyintang Collection n° 109.
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