AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL AND COVER

Estimated Value:

6.000 € - 10.000 €

Result:

incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

China, Song-Dynastie or earlier
H. 31 / 33,5 cm
Of oval cross-section, the pear-shaped body standing on a splayed foot, the lower body undecorated and the shoulder with a raised groove around the wall Decorative bands in relief with taotie and abstract motifs. Curved handle with taotie masks in sculptural relief. Green-black patinated bronze, inside with cast inscription in seal script.
German private collection, assembled before 2003 accoding to the present owner
Archaic ritual bronze vessels with a pear-shaped body tapering to a narrow neck and a swinging handle, such as the present lot, were often called you. However, in Yu Xingwu's Shuangjianyi guqiwu tulu [Catalogue of ancient objects from the Shuangjianyi], this type of vessel was identified as hu 壶. According to Pei Shuyan in Qingtong tilianghu yu you zhi jieding [Debates on the identification of Bronze Hu and You], Kaogu yu wenwu / Archaeology and Cultural Relics, Xi'an, 2013, pp 44-48, the difference between a hu and a you depends on the placement of the lip used to secure the cover and the vessel in place once closed. A hu has the lip set on the cover, allowing it to be inserted into the mouth of vessel, whereas a you has the lip positioned on the vessel, which will be enveloped by the cover upon closure.
Bronze hu functioned as wine containers in ritual settings during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. This has been supported by archaeological findings. Chen Peifen discussed in her book, Zhongguo qingtongqi cidian [The dictionary of Chinese archaic bronzes], vol. 1, Shanghai, 2013, pp 40-41, that liquid was detected in two fully sealed bronze hu discovered from a late Shang to early Western Zhou dynasty tomb in Qianzhangda, Tengzhou, Shandong province. In addition, two further hu were excavated from the tomb of King Cuo of Zhongshan in Pingshan, Hebei province. A scientific analysis of the liquid extracted from the vessels confirmed the presence of ethanol. - A few chips at the mouth, the handle with a restored break

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