Page 12 - Christies September 13 to 14th Fine Chinese Works of Art New York

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTION
1102
A BRONZE RITUAL TRIPOD WINE VESSEL, JUE
LATE SHANG DYNASTY, 12TH-11TH CENTURY BC
The vessel is raised on three blade-shaped legs and are fat-cast around the deep sides with
two pairs of bottle-horn dragons separated by fanges, one pair confronted on another fange
and the other pair confronted on a single clan sign, Jing cast under the handle surmounted by a
bovine mask, all on a leiwen ground and below a band of small triangular blades and longer blades
on the underside of the spout and the fared collar. A pair of posts with rounded caps rise from
the rim. The surface has a blackish-grey patina.
8æ in. (21.3 cm.) high
$30,000-50,000

PROVENANCE
John M. Crawford, Jr. (1913-1988) Collection, New York.
Christie’s New York, 28 October 1977, lot 17.
John M. Crawford, Jr., (1913-1988) was a prominent collector of Chinese art. His renowned Chinese
classical painting and calligraphy collection, most of which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of (inscription)
Art, New York, included great masterpieces such as Northern Song painting master Guo Xi’s (circa
1000–1090) Old Trees, Level Distance, Northern Song calligraphy master Huang Tingjian’s (1045–1105)
Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru, and Emperor Huizong’s (1082–1135) Finches and Bamboo.
商晚期 京爵

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