Page 27 - March 23, 2022 Sotheby's NYC Fine Chinese Works of Art

The Guo Ji clan was a prominent branch that originated from the clan 虢季氏是虢國當中的一個重要氏系，為西
of Guo Shu, the founding king of Western Guo. It was particularly active 虢開國國君虢叔氏之分支。虢季氏一族於
from the mid to the late Western Zhou period and was entrusted by the 西周中至晚期尤其活躍，獲周朝天子任命
Zhou kings with important military positions guarding the empire. The
first recorded member of the Guo Ji clan is Guo Ji Yifu 虢季易父, who was 軍中要職，保衛王朝。文獻記載中最早出
active during the reigns of Kings Zhou Zhao and Zhou Mu. Among his 現的虢季氏為虢季易父，活躍於周昭王及
descendants, who served the Zhou court as top military officials, was Guo 周穆王時期。虢季易父後人包括虢宣公，
Xuan Gong 虢宣公, whose son is believed by several scholars to be the 曾任周王朝的軍事要職。多位學者認爲，
famous Guo Ji Zibo. Both father and son led the Zhou army to glorious 虢宣公之子即為著名的虢季子白。其父子
victories and received accolades from the Zhou king.
二人均曾領軍爭戰，討伐獫狁。立下赫
Guo Ji Zibo is recorded as the person who commissioned the Guo Ji Zi Bo 赫戰功。
Pan, a monumental rectangular basin, over 130 cm long, discovered in the
Daoguang period (1821-1850) in Baoji, Shaanxi and today preserved in the 虢季子白之名，見於虢季子白盤銘。此盤
National Museum of China, Beijing, which bears a 111-character inscription 清道光年間陝西寶雞出土，尺寸碩大，
recording an expedition, possibly during King Zhou Yi’s reign, undertaken 長130公分有餘，據部分學者考證為夷王
by a person named Ji Zibo of Guo, see Zhongguo meishu quanji, Gongyi
meishu bian 4: Qingtong qi [The Great Treasury of Chinese Fine Arts, Arts 時器，銘文共111字，記虢季子白領軍出
and Crafts 4: Bronzes], Beijing, 1985, pl. 234. 征，搏伐獫狁，武於戎功，受到王之嘉
獎。此盤現存於北京中國國家博物館，
Given the prominence of the Guo Ji clan during the Western Zhou period,
there is no doubt that Guo Ji shi Zizu, who is recorded on our hu, was 見《中國美術全集•工藝美術篇4：青銅 Fig. 2 The present lot recorded in Wu Yun, Liangleixuan Fig. 3 Portrait of Wu Yun (1811-1883)
someone of important social status, although unfortunately very little is 器》，北京，1985年, 圖版234。 yiqi tushi (Illustrated study of the ritual vessels in the
known about him personally. His period of activity is believed to have been Liangleixuan), 1872, vol. 7, p. 5. 圖三 吳雲像（1811-1883）
the late Western Zhou to early Spring and Autumn (770-476 BC) period, 虢國季氏社會地位顯貴，本壺銘文記載之
possibly the period of King Zhou Yi. The name is sometimes recorded 虢季氏子組雖乏相關歷史記載，但其身份 圖二 本拍品錄於吳雲，《兩罍軒彝器圖釋》，1872年，
simply as Guo Ji Zizu, without the character shi, ‘family’, but is likely to 亦必然顯赫。其活躍時期相信為西周晚期 卷7，頁5
refer to the same person. It has been suggested that Ji Zibo – owner of the 至春秋初期，可能爲周夷王時人。青銅器
large rectangular pan – and Ji Zizu were brothers. 銘中亦見有名「虢季子組」者，無「氏」
The aristocratic burial site of the Guo state at Shangcunlin in Sanmenxia 字，當為同一人。另有學者提出子白與子
has brought to light two highly important and richly furnished late Western 組或為兄弟。
Zhou tombs of kings of the Guo state, for which the Guo State Museum The three li are inscribed with twelve, fourteen and fifteen-character 三鬲銘分別為十二、十四及十五字，內容
was set up in Sanmenxia. One tomb (M2009) belongs to Guo Gong 河南省三門峽市上村嶺虢國墓地包括兩個 inscriptions, respectively, with minor differences in a few characters. The 相同，僅幾字之差，或因早期書籍記錄誤
Zhangfu 虢公長父, also known as Guo Zhong 虢仲, the other (M2001) 重要的國君墓葬，出土器物珍貴華麗，規 discrepancies could, however, result from inaccurate records in the early 差而致，卣銘十七字，三簋二十字，盤三
belongs to his son, Guo Wen Gong 虢文公, also known as Guo Ji 虢季. It 模龐大，今該遺址建有虢國博物館。二墓 publications. The you bears a seventeen-character, the three gui a twenty-
has been suggested that Guo Ji Zibo was the brother of this Guo Zhong character, the pan a thirty-one-character inscription, all very similar to that 十一字，内容均與本品非常相近：
(not to be confused with the homonymous founding king of the Eastern 之其一（M2009號）墓主當為虢公長父（ on our hu: 壺 虢季氏子組作寶壺子子孫孫永寶其用
Guo state). 亦稱虢仲），另一墓（M2001號）墓主當 Hu 虢季氏子組作寶壺子子孫孫永寶其用享 享
為其子虢文公（即虢季）。有學者認為，
At least eight other late Western Zhou bronze vessels are very similarly Li 虢季(氏)子組作鬲子(子)孫(孫)永寶用(享) 鬲 虢季(氏)子組作鬲子(子)孫(孫)永寶用
inscribed and appear to have been cast by the same Guo Ji shi Zizu as our 虢季子白與此處虢仲或為兄弟（注：東虢 Gui 虢季氏子組作簋其萬年無疆子子孫孫永寶用享 (享)
hu: three li tripods, three gui food vessels, one you wine vessel, and one 立國之君亦名虢仲，與此墓之虢仲並非同 You 虢季子組作寶彞其萬年子子孫孫永寶用
pan water basin, although the you is lacking the character shi in the name. 一人）。 Pan 唯十又一年正月初吉乙亥虢季氏子組作盤其萬年無疆子子孫孫永寶用享 簋 虢季氏子組作簋其萬年無疆子子孫孫
永寶用享
One li is published in the Xi Qing xujian jiabian (Supplement to Xi Qing 目前已知與本壺同組器至少八件，包括三 Hu: Guo Ji shi Zizu zuo bao hu zizi sunsun yong bao qi yong xiang
gujian), vol. 14, p. 2; another, variously reputed to have been unearthed in Li: Guo Ji (shi) Zizu zuo li zi(zi) sun(sun) yong bao yong (xiang) 卣 虢季子組作寶彞其萬年子子孫孫永寶
Fengxiang, Shaanxi or in Xinxiang, Hebei, is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 鬲、三簋、一卣及一盤，器主均為季氏子 Gui: Guo Ji shi Zizu zuo gui qi wannian wu jiang zizi sunsun yong bao yong 用
from the collection of Liang Shangchun (Zhang Tianen 2016, no. 0729); 組，銘文皆近同。其中卣銘記為季子組。 xiang 盤 唯十又一年正月初吉乙亥虢季氏子組
the third is known only from a rubbing of its inscription (Noel Barnard 三鬲其一載於《西淸續鑑甲編》，卷14， You: Guo Ji Zizu zuo bao yi qi wannian zizi sunsun yong bao yong 作盤其萬年無疆子子孫孫永寶用享
& Cheung Kwong-Yue, Rubbings and Hand Copies of Bronze Inscriptions Pan: Wei shi you yi nian zheng yue chu ji yihai Guo Ji shi Zizu zuo pan qi
in Chinese, Japanese, European, American, and Australasian Collections, 頁2；另一鬲傳陝西鳳翔或河北新鄉出 wannian wujiang zizi sunsun yong bao yong xiang 由以上銘文的相近程度可推測此批青銅器
Taipei, 1978, no. 395). 土，現存於北京故宮博物院，屬梁上椿舊 The close similarity in content and wording of the inscriptions suggests 當為同組鑄器。兩簋、盤以及本壺，可能
藏（張天恩，2016年，編號0729）；第三
Of the three recorded gui, one with cover, reputedly excavated in the Qing that the vessels were cast together and formed a set. Two of the gui, the 還包括兩鬲之其一，均出土於陝西鳳翔。
dynasty in Fengxiang, Shaanxi, is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; 件僅見銘拓，錄巴納及張光裕，《中日 pan, perhaps one of the li, and the present hu are all reputed to have been 其中最早出現於著錄者為《西淸續鑑甲
a cover only, also reputedly from Fengxiang, is in the collection of the 歐美澳紐所見所拓所摹金文彙編》， 台 unearthed in Fengxiang county, Shaanxi province. The earliest to have 編》所錄鬲例。《西淸續鑑》乃奉清乾隆
Shanghai Museum; of the third, formerly in the collection of Wu Shifen, 北， 1978年，編號395。 been published is the li in the Xi Qing xujian jiabian, which was compiled 帝御令編撰，始於1781年，成於1793年。
only a rubbing of the inscription is recorded (all in Zhang Tianen 2016, nos to the order of the Qianlong Emperor in 1781 and completed in 1793. It
0727-0728). 三簋其一，連蓋，據傳清代出土自陝西鳳 is therefore possible that the whole group was unearthed in Fengxiang, 故此，本組器有可能全部在十八世紀後期
翔，現存於倫敦維多利亞與阿爾伯特博 Shaanxi province, very close to Baoji, in the late 18th century. 於陝西鳳翔（近寶雞）出土。
The you is in the Palace Museum, Beijing; the pan, also reputedly
excavated in the Qing dynasty in Fengxiang, is only recorded through a 物館；另一例僅存簋蓋，傳亦出土自陝 The present hu was first published in Wu Yun’s Liangleixuan yiqi tushi 本壺最早著錄見於吳雲《兩壘軒彝器圖
rubbing of its inscription (both Zhang Tianen 2016, nos 0731 and 0732). 西鳳翔，現存於上海博物館；其三為吳 (Illustrated study of the ritual vessels in the Liangleixuan) with a woodcut 釋》（圖一及二）。吳雲（1811-1883年）
式芬舊藏，見於銘拓（此三件均載於張天 illustration of both the vessel and its inscription (figs 1-2). Wu Yun (1811- （圖三），號平齋，安徽人，曾任蘇州知
恩，2016年，編號0727-0728）。 1883), literary name Pingzhai, was a native of Anhui who after a minor 府，退任後居蘇州，建「聽楓園」，寄情
official career retired to Suzhou in Jiangsu, where he built a private garden,
卣現藏於北京故宮博物院；盤傳於清代陝 the Tingfengyuan (Garden for listening to maple trees) and devoted his 園藝，鑒藏書畫，納藏逾百件高古青銅
西鳳翔出土，見於銘拓（兩器均載張天 time to gardening and to collecting classical paintings, calligraphies and 器，其書齋「兩罍軒」即得名於他收藏的
恩，2016年，編號0731及0732）。 over one hundred archaic bronzes (fig. 3). His study, Liangleixuan (Study 一對重要青銅罍。
of the two lei), was named after an important pair of bronze lei vessels.
吳雲與其他重要金石鑒藏家如潘祖蔭
（1830-1890年）、吳大澂（1835-1902
年）、陳介祺（1813-1884年）及李鴻裔
50 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N10917 51