A RARE SMALL 'BA-SHU' RAM-FORM SEAL

LATE WARRING STATES PERIOD, 4TH-3RD CENTURY BC

細節

A RARE SMALL 'BA-SHU' RAM-FORM SEAL
LATE WARRING STATES PERIOD, 4TH-3RD CENTURY BC
Cast with a ram standing four-square on a rectangular base, with a collar of cowrie shells around the neck, scrolled markings on the body, and a hole in the back for suspension, the underside cast in intaglio with three Ba-Shu glyphs within a rectangle
1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) long

來源

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1986.

展覽

The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Singapore, 2000, no. 74.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2002-2006.

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拍品專文

The bottom of this rare seal is cast in intaglio with three elements set within an outer border, which include: what might be a bell or a gong, an altar stand, and a knife. These last two appear on a dish unearthed in the 1950s from tomb no. 172 at Yangzishan, Chengdu, Sichuan province, illustrated by Sun Hua, "A Preliminary Discussion of Ba-Shu Symbols", Ba-Shu kaogu lunwen ji, Beijing, 1987, pl. 9:6. The first symbol, however, does not seem to appear on any other Ba-Shu object.
Knives and stands were used in sacrificial rites and have been found together in archaeological excavations, including those of sites dating to the Shang dynasty.
The animal on the top of the seal may be identified as a ram by the horns which curve behind the ears, as well as by the shape of the head and the short legs. Combined with the symbols on the base it could represent a sacrificial animal.