Beschreibung:

AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL, GULate Shang Dynasty The slender vessel cast on the flaring trumpet neck with four blades of stylised cicada with large eyes forming dispersed taotie masks in raised relief on a fine leiwen ground, extending from a horizontal band of kui dragons, the central section cast with further taotie masks bisected by raised notched flanges, separated from the lower section by paired relief 'bowstring' lines, the flanges repeated on the flaring foot enhancing elaborate horizontal kui dragons with c-shaped horns, box. 31cm (12 1/4in) high, 1.35kg (2).Footnotes商晚期 青銅饕餮紋四出戟觚 Provenance: J.J. Lally & Co., New York Meiyingtang Collection, Rapperswil Galerie Christian Deydier An Asian private collection, acquired from the above on 19 June 2015 Exhibited: Meiyintang Collection of Chinese Archaic Bronze, Musee Guimet, Paris, March to June 2013, no.14 Published and Illustrated: Wang Tao, Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2009, pp.40-41, no.14 Musee des Arts Asiatiques, Guimet, Tresors de la Chine ancienne, Paris, 2013, p.50, no.27 C.Deydier, Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection, Paris, 2017, vol.1, p.27, no.14 來源: 紐約藍捷理藝廊 瑞士玫茵堂舊藏 巴黎戴克成藝廊 亞洲私人收藏，2015年6月19日購於上者 展覽: 「玫茵堂藏中國銅器」，巴黎吉美美術館，2013年3月至6月，編號14 出版及著錄: 汪濤，《Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection中國銅器》，倫敦，2009年，頁40-41，編號14 吉美美術館，《Tresors de la Chine ancienne中國古代珍寶》，巴黎，2013年，頁50，編號27 戴克成，《Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection中國銅器》，巴黎，2017年，卷1，頁27，編號14 Bronze gu vessels such as the present lot were among the most important objects used in State rituals of the late Shang dynasty. Similar archaic bronze gu vases from the late Shang dynasty can be found in a number of important museum collections. Compare with two similar gu illustrated in Bronzes in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1999, pp.68-69, nos.40 and 43; see another similar gu dated to the middle/late Anyang period, of similar size (31.7cm high) and archaistic decorative motifs, illustrated in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei, 1998, pp.280-283, no.41l; and another example in the Henan Provincial Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo Meishu Fenlei Quanji: Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji: Shang, vol.IV, Beijing, 2006, p.67, no.69. The blade motif at the neck of these slender vessels is an Anyang innovation. See R.Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M.Sackler Collections, p.229. A similar gu, late Shang dynasty, excavated in Anyang, now in the Institute of Archaeology, The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, is illustrated by Li Jianwei and Niu Ruihong, Zhongguo Qingtong ji tulu, vol.I, Beijing, 2005, p.118 (top); see also a related excavated example, unearthed at Yongdoucun, Majiahe, Yanchuan county, Shaanxi Province, in the Cultural Relics Institute of Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, illustrated in Bronzes from Northern Shaanxi, vol.II Chengdu, 2009, p.155; and another excavated from the Shang tomb at Xiaqiyuan, Ci county, in the collection of the Hebei Museum, illustrated in National Treasures of Hebei Province, Hebei, 2008, p.100. Compare with two related archaic bronze gu vessels, Zhou/late Shang dynasty, which were sold at Christie's New York, 21 April 2014, lot 2037 and also 22 March 2013, lot 1222. 觚喇叭口，三層滿工，飾浮雕蕉葉紋四片，每面內部再飾凸起一層變體夔紋，其下飾一周四條浮雕S形蛇紋，正中出四齒狀扉棱，前後飾浮雕饕餮紋，圈足外撇成喇叭形，出四齒狀扉棱，前後亦似饕餮紋，所有紋飾之下以雷紋填地。 此觚鑄造精當，三層紋飾繁密細緻。銅色泛銀，合金中應含較多錫。形制為商代晚期殷墟典型風格製器， 可比較河南安陽出土兩件商代晚期青銅觚，紋飾、尺寸與本件皆似，見《中國青銅器全集》，北京，1998年，編號114及115。另可比較兩件售於紐約佳士得之商代晚期青銅觚，2014年4月21日，拍品編號2037及2013年3月22日，拍品編號1222。