A COPPER-INLAID BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL AND COVER, HU, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY

Expert’s note:
For further research and a comparative analysis with published examples in major institutions, see Charles D. Weber, Chinese Pictorial Bronze Vessels of the Late Chou Period. Part III, published in Artibus Asiae, volume 29, number 2/3, 1967, pages 115-192. In this publication, the author provides a comprehensive analysis of pictorial bronze vessels from the late Zhou period and suggests that this type of decoration originated from Huixian, Henan province, from the 6th into the early 5th century BC.

To properly evaluate the current lot, it is essential to compare it with the related examples found in the Fogg Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see literature comparison). These institutions possess vessels attributed to significant tombs in the vicinity of Huixian. These vessels share several identical pictorial elements with the present lot, as illustrated in the accompanying diagram. These pictorial elements also serve as a basis for dating the current lot, as referenced in fig. 70 of Weber’s work, where the sinuous feline pictograms suggest a manufacture date of 500 B.C.

Furthermore, page 151 of Weber's work highlights a pertinent observation. During the late Zhou period, pictorial decoration on these types of vessels was arranged irrespective of the placement of handles. Consequently, handles were often affixed over a portion of the pictorial representations, partially covering the design. This alignment further strengthens the connection of the present lot to the published examples, suggesting that it is not only closely related, originating from the same period and region, but also
having a strong possibility of it originating from a neighboring site
.

China, late 6th-early 5th century BC. Superbly cast, the globular body supported on a tall spreading foot and rising to a waisted neck with a flared mouth, the shoulder set with two small lug handles. The body is finely inlaid with copper in five registers depicting geometrically arranged designs of pairs of birds, felines, and deer within lozenge borders which also encircle the foot, the body further interspersed by elaborate ruyi-like designs, the mouth and rim of the cover with line borders. The similarly decorated domed cover surmounted by a loop finial. The vase has retained its original cover for well over two millennia, which makes it exceedingly rare.


Provenance:
From a noted private collection in Southern California, USA.

Condition:
Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, expected minor casting flaws, small nicks and losses, light scratches. Magnificent patina overall, the copper inlays naturally patinated to a distinct auburn color, the bronze with malachite encrustations and lustrous hues of cuprite.

Weight: 2,496 g
Dimensions: Height 34 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related copper-inlaid bronze hu, 43 cm high, dated to the Warring States period, in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard Art Museums, object number 1943.52.121.A-B. Compare a related related copper-inlaid bronze hu, lacking the cover, 44.5 cm high, dated ca. 5th century BC, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 29.100.545. Compare also a related copper-inlaid bronze hu, lacking the cover, 44.7 cm high, dated to the Warring States period, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1928.143. A similar hu is illustrated by J. So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, 1995, vol. III, no. 44, where the author, p. 257, describes how the motifs “were first cast in copper, then inserted into the mold and held in place with spacers”. This technique was more effective in keeping the copper decoration in place than the more conventional method of hammering the copper into cast or incised depressions. Another similarly decorated hu lacking cover is in the museum collection of Fujii Yurinkan Museum, Kyoto, where it is registered as an Important Art Object by the Japanese government. Another hu with a cover was included in the exhibition Chinese Archaic Bronzes, Sculpture and Works of Art, J. J. Lally & Co., New York, June 1992, no. 24.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s, New York, 21 March 2002, lot 70
Price: USD 23,500 or approx.
EUR 36,500
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare copper-inlaid bronze wine jar, hu, Eastern Zhou dynasty, late 6th-early 5th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and inlays. Note the size (39.7 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s, New York, 23-24 September 2021, lot 705
Price: USD 32,500 or approx.
EUR 32,500
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare copper-inlaid bronze ritual wine vessel, hu, Warring States period (475-221 BC)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and inlays. Note the size (45.7 cm) and the obvious condition issues.




東周錯銅蓋壺


中國，公元前六至五世紀初。壺口外撇，長頸微束，下方鏨刻變體蕉葉紋，溜肩，肩部兩側分鑄雙耳，腹部下收，壺口和腹部飾凹弦紋，圈足高而外撇。器身嵌紅銅，菱形邊框內有成對的鳥、貓、鹿等幾何排列圖案；足部周圍亦有精緻的如意圖案；口部及蓋緣亦點綴有如意紋。圓頂蓋頂部有一個環形鈕。皮色暗沉古穆。


專家注釋：
如需進一步研究以及與主要機構已發表實例的比較分析，請參閱 Charles D. Weber，《Chinese Pictorial Bronze Vessels of the Late Chou Period（中國晚期週時期青銅器圖案）》第三部分，發表於 Artibus Asiae，第 29 卷，第 2/3 期，1967 年，第 115-192 頁。 在本書中，作者對周晚期的青銅器圖案進行了全面的分析，認為這種裝飾起源於公元前六世紀至五世紀初的河南省輝縣。


為了正確評估當前拍品
，有必要將其與Fogg Art Museum和大都會藝術博物館的相關拍品進行比較（參見文獻比較）。 這些機構擁有來自輝縣附近重要墓葬的器皿。這些青銅器與本拍品有幾個相同的圖案元素，如附圖所示。 這些元素也可作為當前拍品年代測定的基礎，如圖 1 所示。Weber書中的 70 幅圖片中，貓科動物表明其生產日期為公元前 500 年。


此外，Weber著作的第 151 頁強調了一個相關的觀察結果
。周代晚期，此類器物上的圖案裝飾與手柄的位置無關。因此，手柄部分覆蓋設計。這種排列進一步證明了當前拍品與已發表的例子的聯繫，表明它不僅密切相關，起源於同一時期和地區，而且很有可能起源於鄰近地點。


來源：
美國加利福尼亞州南部私人知名收藏。

品相：
狀況極佳，大面積磨損、風化和侵蝕的跡象預計會出現輕微的鑄造缺陷、小刻痕和損失、輕微劃痕。整體上呈現出華麗的銅綠，銅鑲嵌物自然地呈現出獨特的赤褐色，青銅上鑲嵌著孔雀石和赤銅礦的光澤色調。

重量：2,496 克
尺寸：高 34 厘米


文獻比較：


比較一件相近的戰國時期錯銅壺，高43 釐米，收藏於哈佛藝術博物館，館藏編號1943.52.121.A-B。比較一件相近的西元前五世紀嵌紅銅青銅壺，高44.5 釐米，收藏於大都會藝術博物館，館藏編號29.100.545。比較一件相近的戰國時期錯銅壺，高44.7 釐米，收藏於芝加哥藝術博物館，館藏編號1928.143。一件相似的壺，見J. So，《Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections》，1995年，卷三，編號44，作者在頁257提到，「首先用銅鑄造，然後插入模具並用墊片固定到位」。與將銅錘入鑄造或切割凹陷的傳統方法相比，這種技術更能有效地將銅裝飾固定在適當的位置。另一件相似的錯銅壺，收藏於京都藤井有鄰館。另一件青銅壺，《Chinese Archaic Bronzes，Sculpture and Works of Art》，J. J. Lally & Co.，紐約，6月 1992年，編號24。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2002年3月21日，lot 70
價格：USD 23,500（相當於今日
EUR 36,500
）
描述：西元前六世紀末和五世紀初東周青銅錯紅銅壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形和鑲嵌。請注意尺寸 (39.7 釐米)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2021年9月23-24日，lot 705
價格：USD 32,500（相當於今日
EUR 32,500
）
描述：戰國青銅錯紅銅壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形和鑲嵌。請注意尺寸 (45.7 釐米) ，以及明顯的品相問題。