Page 154 - Deydier VOL.2 Meiyintang Collection of Chinese Bronses

185. A rare ritual bronze wine vessel gong
Early Western Zhou dynasty, circa 11 century bc.
th
西周早期青銅觥
Height: 27.5 cm, Length: 27 cm

A rare archaic bronze vessel used during rituals for Inscription:
making libations with wine. The vessel’s long, chubby, ▪ A three-character inscription inside the body of the
pourer-shaped body ends in an artfully cast animal’s head vessel reads: “cast this precious vessel” 《作寶彝》.
with powerful nostrils, expressive, deeply set, round eyes,
a rabbit-like nose, long, rabbit-like ears and a pair of thick Provenance:
tubular horns extending from the middle of the animal’s ▪ Private Collection, Taipei, Taiwan.
brow to above the top of its thick neck. The upper part ▪ Galerie Christian Deydier, Paris, France.
of the vessel’s body is decorated on each of its sides with
a fabulously plumed large bird, followed by an equally Exhibited:
fabulously plumed smaller bird on a leiwen background. ▪ Ching Wan Society Millenium Exhibition, Chang
The vessel’s cover is incised with stylized dragon motifs Foundation, Taipei 2000, catalogue no. 115.
and surmounted in its centre with a handle in the form ▪ Trésors de la Chine ancienne, Bronzes Rituels De La
of a tiger with its head turned backwards towards its tail Collection Meiyintang, Musée des arts asiatiques
and crouching downwards as though ready to spring into Guimet, Paris 13 mars - 10 juin 2013, catalogue no. 51.
action.
Published:
From the back of the body of the vessel extends a thick, ▪ Chang Foundation, Ching Wan Society Millennium
rounded, semi-circular handle in the form of a finely cast Exhibition, Taipei 2000, catalogue no. 115.
tiger’s head from whose mouth emerges the handle’s ▪ Guimet, Musée des arts asiatiques, Trésors de la
lower half. The vessel is supported by four stubby legs cast Chine ancienne, Bronzes Rituels De La Collection
in the form of animal paws, decorated in low relief with Meiyintang, Paris 2013, p. 86 - 87, no. 51.
eye and spiral motifs.
Similar example:
Bronze with green and maroon patina. ▪ Only one similar gong supported by four animal legs,
and from the same period, is recorded. This piece,
now in the Nanjing Museum, was excavated in 1954
in Yandunshan, Dantu district, Jiangsu province, and
is illustrated by Hayashi M., In Shu Jidai Seidoki non
Kenkyu (In Shu Seidoki Soran Ichi), Conspectus of
Yin and Zhou Bronzes, Tokyo 1984, Vol. I - Plates,
p. 376 no. 47, and by Rawson J., Western Zhou Ritual
Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections,
Volume II B, Washington 1990, p. 707 fig. 118.7.

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