Page 65 - March 17, 2020 Impotant Chinese Art, Sotheby's, New York

THE XIAOZI X GUI,

COMMEMORATING A SUCCESSFUL
SHANG MILITARY CAMPAIGN

REGINA KRAHL AND HANG YIN

銘記千古–記載商代伐夷戰爭的小子□簋

康蕊君及尹航

The Shang period (c. 1600 - 1045 BC) is China’s first historic 商王朝是中國歷史上首個有同時期文字記
dynasty, that is, the first era from which written documents 載的朝代。今所發現的商代文字資料大多
are preserved that corroborate the period’s historicity. Such 來自於包括武丁（在位時間提定為約公元
documentation is known only from the time of the last nine
Shang kings, beginning with Wu Ding (proposed reign dates 前 1250–1192）在內的最後九位商王時期，
c. 1250 – c. 1192 BC), when the capital was at Anyang, Henan. 其載體主要以當時占卜所用的甲骨為主。
Historic documents come mainly in the form of inscribed 除此外，同時期的青銅器上也時常見有銘
oracle bones that were used for divination; but besides oracle 文，其中亦可偶見一些對於當時某個重大
bones, a few bronzes were cast with ancestor dedications, 歷史事件的記載。本簋即屬此類青銅重器
which can also mention historic events. The present gui is
one of these exceedingly rare vessels of historic significance. 之一，其銘文極具歷史及學術價值。
While most Shang inscriptions are very short, often 商代青銅器銘文大多字數較少，有時僅為
mentioning only a name, longer inscriptions appear on a few
vessels from the last two reigns, known in archaeology as 一個族徽。至殷墟末期帝乙及帝辛時期
Period V, those of kings Di Yi and Di Xin, for whom reign dates （在位時間分別提定為約公元前 1105–
of c. 1105 – c. 1087, and c. 1086 – 1046 BC, respectively, 1087 及 1086–1046），也就是考古學分期
have been proposed. They continued into the Western Zhou 中的殷墟文化四期，可見一小部分青銅器
(1045 – 771 BC), when they became more frequent. Very few 帶有較長銘文，後至西周時期長銘器則開
of the Shang inscriptions are truly documentary, however, in 始大量出現。目前已知商代青銅器銘文當
recording an incident of historic interest; more typically, they
refer to recurrent activities in the life of the rulers, such as 中大多數是對於王族祭祀、狩獵等常規活
imperial sacrifices or hunts. 動的記載，而鮮有對當時重要歷史事件的
The historic event inscribed on our gui is a well-known 記錄。
military expedition of the Shang against the Renfang, also
known as Yifang, an enemy tribe in the east, which is also 本簋銘文記錄了商末征伐夷方這一重要歷
recorded on three other bronzes: the famous rhinoceros- 史事件。除本器外，目前已知另有三件
shaped zun from the Avery Brundage collection in the 青銅器也對此次商王朝的重大軍事行動有
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (fig. 1a-b), a you in the 所記載：其一即為著名的梁山七器之一的
Hakutsuru Art Museum, Kobe (fig. 2a-b), and a yan in the
National Museum, Beijing (see Bagley 1987, p. 529, fig. 103.11; 小臣艅犀尊，艾弗里•布倫戴奇收藏，現
p. 403, fig. 71.4; p. 530, fig. 103.12; Wei Xinying, p. 044, fig. 1.1 存舊金山亞洲藝術博物館（圖一 a-b），其
and fig. 2; and Peng Qingyun, ed., Zhongguo wenwu jinghua 二為神戶白鶴美術館收藏的小子 卣 （圖
da cidian: Qingtong juan [Encyclopaedia of masterpieces of 二 a-b），其三為北京國家博物館收藏的作
Chinese cultural relics: Bronze volume], Shanghai, 1995, no. 冊般甗（參考貝格利，1987 年，頁 529，
0061).
圖 103.11；頁 403，圖 71.4；頁 530，圖
These inscriptions on our gui and its companions have 103.12；韋心瀅，頁 044，圖 1.1 及 2；彭
been much discussed in the scholarly literature, and the
interpretations by different scholars vary slightly, largely 卿雲編，《中國文物精華大辭典：青銅卷》，
due to the fact that characters can be difficult to read. They 上海，1995 年，編號 0061）。
have recently, however, been researched in detail by Wei
Xinying (2015), writing from the Palace Museum, Beijing, who 本簋及另外幾件青銅器之銘文學術界已多
has been able to solve many of the previous uncertainties 有研究討論，不同學者之間說法亦稍有出
by studying these bronze inscriptions in connection with 入，主要由於其銘文頗為難辨所致。近年，
corresponding oracle bone inscriptions, which equally
mention the Renfang campaign. 學者韋心瀅博士（2015 年）通過研究追溯
這批青銅器銘文以及相關記錄有征伐夷方
的甲骨文，梳理並解開了過往的一些學術
疑團。

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