Page 22 - Christies September 13 to 14th Fine Chinese Works of Art New York

R. Bagley discusses the evolution of the fangyi
form in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M.
Sackler Collections, The Arthur M. Sackler
Foundation, 1987, pp. 428-44. The earliest
fangyi, as represented by those in fgs. 77.7-
77.9, p. 433, have a distinctly defned foot with
larger arched openings, the body does not have
fanged corners, and the covers, seen in fgs.
77.7 and 77.9, have a straight cant. What may be
considered a slightly later group is represented
by no. 77, pp. 428-435, which does not have a
distinct demarcation between the foot and the
body, but instead a straight tapering profle, and
the covers have a slightly convex profle. The last
group, represented by no. 79, pp. 440-44, and the
Sze Yuan Tang fangyi, have a more robust, more
sharply tapering shape, and prominent fanges,
but seem to have reverted to the more distinctly
defned foot and the straight canted cover of the
earliest type.
As with the Sackler fangyi no. 77, the present
fangyi can be dated to the period of Fu Hao’s
tomb, circa 13th century BC. Another fangyi of
similar form and decoration is illustrated ibid, fg.
77.10. Compare, also, a fangyi of this type cast
with high-relief decoration, illustrated ibid, fg.
77.11. According to R. W. Bagley, ibid, p. 432, “the
nearest relatives of no. 77 are with few exceptions
decorated in Style V. I know of only a single
Style IV vessel resembling no. 77 (fg. 77.10) but
six or seven fangyi that represent its design in
a very subdued high relief.” The present fangyi
therefore counts as the third known Style IV
example resembling the Sackler fangyi no. 77. It
is also interesting to note that the present fangyi
is the only one of its type to eliminate completely
any hint of fange. The other examples all have
notched corners which allude to fanges.

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