Lot Essay
Archaic bronze animal vessels are extremely rare. Among this group a limited number of Shang Dynasty examples have been recorded including the famous rhinoceros tsun in the Avery Brundage Collection; a boar-shaped vessel excavated in 1981 in the province of Hunan, illustrated in A Selection of the Treasure of Archaeological Finds of the People's Republic of China,, no.172; and a buffalo-shaped bronze sold in our New York Rooms, 1 December 1988, lot 143
An example of a lamp supported by a buffalo from the collection of the Nanjing Museum, excavated from a Han tomb in 1980 is illustrated, ibid. no. 255 and 256
The surface decoration on the present example relates favourably to the curvilinear interlocking scroll design with dragons found on a Warring States hu illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, no.181; to the geometric pattern on a bronze bell illustrated in Zhongguo Meishu Quanji, Bronzes Part II, pls. 172-175; and to a covered wine vessel dating to the second half of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, illustrated in Chinese Bronzes from the Buckingham Collection, pls. LXII-LXIV
An example of a lamp supported by a buffalo from the collection of the Nanjing Museum, excavated from a Han tomb in 1980 is illustrated, ibid. no. 255 and 256
The surface decoration on the present example relates favourably to the curvilinear interlocking scroll design with dragons found on a Warring States hu illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, no.181; to the geometric pattern on a bronze bell illustrated in Zhongguo Meishu Quanji, Bronzes Part II, pls. 172-175; and to a covered wine vessel dating to the second half of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, illustrated in Chinese Bronzes from the Buckingham Collection, pls. LXII-LXIV