Page 7 - Avery Brundage Ancient Bronzes and Collecting Biography

figure 8.7. Vessel in the shape of a
quadruped, with the inscription “Si Mu Xin.”
Excavated in 1976 from Tomb No. 5, Anyang,
Henan Province, late Shang period, 12th
century bce. Bronze, height 14⅛ in. (35.9
cm). From Fong, Great Bronze Age of China,
163 no. 30.

north-central China tend to be stiff, ungainly creatures rather removed from real life,
such as the quadruped from the tomb of Fu Hao (fig. 8.7). Cast with an inscription of
the posthumous name of a queen of the Shang dynasty, this vessel typifies the northern
convention in rendering animals, yet it is hard to tell what it represents. Actually, it is a
composite: its hind legs face backward and seem to belong to a different creature from
the rest of the object.
By contrast, an elephant-shaped vessel (fig. 8.8) from Hunan Province, a short dis-
tance south of the Yangzi River, is much more realistic. This kind of lively rendering
21
defines a southern bronze-casting tradition. Of the same height as the Brundage rhi-
noceros, the elephant is equally engaging in its youthful plumpness. Yet its surfaces are
crowded with ornaments, especially dragons in various postures. Other animal-shaped
vessels, whether from northern or southern China, are almost always covered with sur-
face decoration, forming a stark contrast with the plain surface of the rhinoceros. So far,
the Brundage rhinoceros is one of only two known animals portrayed in the flesh. 22
In the mid-twentieth century, as now, the antique market was well supplied with

A Unique Pair: The Bronze Rhinoceros and Its Collector, Avery Brundage 207