Page 13 - Avery Brundage Ancient Bronzes and Collecting Biography

Amid the rich possibilities for acquisition, Brundage proved willing to take calculated figure 8.13. Gui. Middle Western Zhou
risks in acquiring unusual pieces. The bronze rhinoceros was one such example. As Lefe- period, 10th century bce. Bronze, height 14
bvre d’Argencé pointed out, “In those early days, he had already developed an uncanny in. (35.6 cm). Avery Brundage Collection,
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco,
flair for buying that was ahead of his time, focusing on early bronzes, jades and Korean
B60B1056.
ceramics when practically everyone else in the West was ignoring them. For many years,
37
he collected for himself, simply following his penchant.” He commented on another
occasion, particularly on bronzes, “. . . Mr. Avery Brundage in his purchases has often
been ahead of his time. Thus a number of vessels which have been in the collection for a
long time have had to wait for the most recent discoveries of Chinese archaeology until
they could be fully authenticated.” 38

A Unique Pair: The Bronze Rhinoceros and Its Collector, Avery Brundage 213