Page 42 - Status & Ritual Chinese Archaic Bronzes

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A BRONZE TRIPOD VESSEL AND A
COVER, DING

EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
(8TH-3RD CENTURY BC)

東周 青銅蟠虺紋蓋鼎

The globular vessel is crisply cast to the exterior
with dense bands of stylised animal-form scrolls,
supported on three tall feet. There is a pair of
curved upright handles to the sides, decorated
with leiwen patterns. The cover is cast with two
bands of stylised dragon scrolls, encircling the
round fnial decorated with further leiwen. The
bronze has a pale greenish-grey patina with light
malachite encrustation.

14¿ in. (36 cm.) diam. across the handles

£10,000-15,000 $16,000-23,000
€14,000-21,000

PROVENANCE

The Collection of the Honolulu Academy of Art.
With Rare Art, Inc., New York, before 14 January
1981.
From an important private European collection.

A very similar lidded ding with a fared crown
in the centre of the cover can be seen in the
Peking University Sackler Museum, illustrated
by the Henan Museum and Peking University
Archaeology Department in Chinese Ding Culture,
Daxiang chubanshe, 2013. See also J. So, Eastern
Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler
Collections, New York, 1995, pp. 130-131, no. 13.
these two Eastern Zhou examples have almost
identical designs comprising concentric wave
patterns inside the crown roundel of the cover,
and meandering dragon decoration on the central
roundels of the cover. The two pronounced handles
are large and notably square.

A comparable covered ding is illustrated in
The Freer Chinese Bronzes, vol. I Catalogue,
Washington, 1967, pp. 460-495. The cover has
three rings rather than the crown fnial, however
this piece has similar decorative elements of
braided rope and dragon ornamentation.

來源:
美國檀香山藝術學院舊藏
於1981年1月14日前購自美國紐約古董
商Rare Art Inc
重要歐洲私人珍藏

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