AN UNUSUAL BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL, YU

SHANG DYNASTY, 11TH CENTURY BC

Details

AN UNUSUAL BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL, YU
SHANG DYNASTY, 11TH CENTURY BC
Raised on a tall pedestal foot spreading slightly to a vertical bottom rim and cast with three taotie masks centered on narrow flanges, the deep bowl cast around the sides with a band of boss-and-diamond pattern below a narrow band of pairs of elephants or elephant-like dragons confronted on three small animal masks cast in relief, with a mottled pale green patina overall
9½ in. (24 cm.) across

Provenance

J.T. Tai & Co., New York, 1965.

Literature

R. Poor, Bronze Ritual Vessels of Ancient China, New York, 1968.
R.W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 1987, pp. 510-11, no. 100.

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Lot Essay

This vessel has close parallels to several unearthed in Shaanxi province, which are illustrated by Robert Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, 1987, p. 511, figs. 100.1-100.3. All share the same body shape, similar foot and a broad main band of boss-and-diamond pattern. The upper decorative band on the Sackler yu, however, with its depiction of what appear to be elephants or dragons with elephant trunks, is very unusual.

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