Page 59 - Deydier UNDERSTANDING CHINESE ARCHAIC BRONZES

At the beginning of the Shang 商 dynasty, during the Erligang 二里
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崗 period (circa 17 /16 – 14 centuries B.C.), the shape of the jia 斝
changes slightly, but generally the body consists of two sections: a
lower section with outwardly expanding, rounded sides and an upper
section with a narrow waist that flares outwards as it rises to its rim.
The conical legs are hollow and extend outwards as they descend.

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During the Yinxu 殷墟 period (14 – 12 /11 centuries B.C.), the apogee
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of Shang 商 bronze vessel production, the shape of the jia’s 斝 body
hardly changes, and it remains round, tall and convex, or sometimes
square, as in the magnificent vessel illustrated here on page 56. The
legs are triangular and sometimes hollow and open on their inner
sides. Size can also vary greatly, with the largest reaching over 80 cm
in height.

Toward the end of the Shang 商 dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou
周 dynasty, the body of the jia 斝 becomes dumpier and sometimes
looks like the body of a li 鬲 (See pages 66-68), composed of three
clustered round swells supported by three small cylindrical legs that
narrow into points as they descend. The vessel’s semi-circular, lateral
handle becomes thicker and is often surmounted by a bovine head cast
in the round. The jia 斝 disappears around the middle of the Western
Zhou 周 dynasty around the 10 century B.C..
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Jian 鑒

The jian 鑒 is a huge, deep-basin-shaped vessel, with either a ring foot
or a flat bottom, and resembles a very large and very deep pan 盤. The
jian 鑒, which was the largest bronze vessel in size in ancient China,
appears exclusively in the Spring and Autumn 春秋 and Warring States
戰國 periods, stretching from circa 770 to 221 B.C..

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Fangjia, Shang dynasty, Yinxu period (circa 14 –12 /11 centuries B.C.)
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Height: 50.9 cm – Meiyintang Collection n° 10.
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