Page 36 - Christies September 13 to 14th Fine Chinese Works of Art New York

PROPERTY FROM THE MACLEAN COLLECTION, ILLINOIS
1111
A FINELY CAST BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL, GUI
EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, 11TH CENTURY BC
The body is crisply cast in high relief on each side with a pair of coiled dragons with protruding fangs
confronted on a notched fange, and reserved on a leiwen ground. The vessel is fanked by a pair of loop
handles surmounted by animal masks and with a tab cast with a claw and tail feather of a bird projecting
from the bottom. The pedestal foot is cast on each side with two dragons confronted on a narrow fange.
The bronze has an attractive, smooth dark grey patina. Together with a line drawing of the present lot
by Hongwei Dong.
10¬ in. (27 cm.) across handles

$250,000-350,000

PROVENANCE
Christie’s London, 23 October 1967, lot 152.
J.T. Tai & Co., New York.
The Bella and P.P. Chiu Collection.
Sotheby’s London, 7 June 2000, lot 8.
LITERATURE
J. Rawson, The Bella and P.P. Chiu Collection of Ancient Chinese Bronzes,
Hong Kong, 1988, pp. 64-5, no. 20.
R. A. Pegg and Lidong Zhang, The MacLean Collection: Chinese Ritual Bronzes,
Chicago, 2010, pp. 80-3, no. 17.
西周早期 青銅蝸身獸紋簋

Accompanying line drawing by Hongwei Dong.

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