Page 107 - Deydier VOL.2 Meiyintang Collection of Chinese Bronses

171. Ritual bronze wine vessel fangyi
Shang dynasty, early Yinxu period, circa 13 century bc.
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商代殷墟早期青銅方彝
Height: 19.2 cm

An archaic, covered bronze wine container of rectangular Provenance:
shape, supported by a high foot with arched openings. ▪ Oeder Collection, Priemern, Altmark, Germany.
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The body of the vessel is decorated, just below its rim, ▪ Sotheby’s, London, 19 June, 1984.
with a wide band deeply cast with ornate, stylized taotie ▪ Private Collection, Paris, France.
masks, bordered above and below by narrower bands of ▪ Eskenazi Ltd, London, U.K.
small circular patterns.
Exhibited:
The vessel’s foot is decorated with a frieze of outwardly ▪ Ostasiatische Kunst und Chinoiserie, Koln, Germany,
facing kui dragons, shown in profile on a leiwen 1953.
background, with each dragon confronting its neighbor ▪ Weltkunst aus Privatbesitz, Kunsthalle, Koln,
over the adjoining corner of the vessel. Germany, 1968.
▪ Sotheby’s, London, 19 June, 1984, catalogue no. 13.
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The vessel’s large, sloping, roof-like cover is topped by ▪ Trésors de la Chine ancienne, Bronzes Rituels De La
a small similarly shaped knob on a short neck and is Collection Meiyintang, Musée des arts asiatiques
decorated all round on its lower edges with a high band Guimet, Paris 13 mars - 10 juin 2013, catalogue no. 81.
of repeating C and T scrolls, bordered above and below by
narrower bands of small circular patterns. Published:
▪ Karlgren B., New Studies on Chinese Bronzes, BMFEA
The vessel has a fine light green patina. Vol. 9, Stockholm 1937, pl. LVI, no. 1277.
▪ Hentze C., Bronzegerät, Kulbauten, Religion im
Ältesten China der Shang - Zeit, Antwerp 1951,
pl. XXXV, no. 21.
▪ Sotheby’s, London, 19 June, 1984, catalogue no. 13.
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▪ Guimet, Musée des arts asiatiques, Trésors de la
Chine ancienne, Bronzes Rituels De La Collection
Meiyintang, Paris 2013, p. 134, no. 81.

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