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Lot Essay
The present zun, with its prominent vertical flanges and intricate decoration, is representative of the type made during the late Shang period to Early Western Zhou period. Bronze casting came fully into its own in China during the Shang dynasty with the production of sacral vessels intended for use in funerary ceremonies. These vessels include ones for food and wine, as well as ones for water. The present wine vessel, zun, simultaneously displays features from the Shang period, such as the dominant vertical flanges and the taotie masks with bulging eyes, as well as the bird-shaped decorative motif often found on Western Zhou bronzes. A rare feature of the present vessel is the extension of the flanges over the mouth rim. This feature usually appears on vessel types of the highest status, such as the fangzun from the Fujita Museum, sold at Christie’s New York, 15 March 2017, lot 523; and the fine pair of Late Shang dynasty gu, the tie zhu gu, sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2019, lot 1504.
A zun of similar size, cast with cicada-like forms and vertical flanges, dated to the Western Zhou dynasty from the Art Institute Chicago is illustrated by Charles Fabens Kelley and Ch’en Meng-Chia in Chinese Bronzes from the Buckingham Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1946, pp. 48-49, plate 23. A vessel of similar style, from the Shanghai Museum is illustrated by Chen Peifen in Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Shanghai Museum, London, 1995, p. 41, where it is dated to the Late Shang period. Another Early Western Zhou example of a similar shaped zun from the Cleveland Museum of Art is illustrated by Jessica Rawson in Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1990, Vol. IIB, p. 579, Fig. 87.9. A comparable zun, similar in form but without flanges on the upper part, also from the Sackler Collections, is illustrated by R. Bagley in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington DC and Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1987, pp. 310-311.
A zun very similar to the present one in style, dated to the Late Shang-Early Western Zhou Dynasty was sold at Christie’s London, 15 May 2018, lot 40.
A zun of similar size, cast with cicada-like forms and vertical flanges, dated to the Western Zhou dynasty from the Art Institute Chicago is illustrated by Charles Fabens Kelley and Ch’en Meng-Chia in Chinese Bronzes from the Buckingham Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1946, pp. 48-49, plate 23. A vessel of similar style, from the Shanghai Museum is illustrated by Chen Peifen in Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Shanghai Museum, London, 1995, p. 41, where it is dated to the Late Shang period. Another Early Western Zhou example of a similar shaped zun from the Cleveland Museum of Art is illustrated by Jessica Rawson in Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1990, Vol. IIB, p. 579, Fig. 87.9. A comparable zun, similar in form but without flanges on the upper part, also from the Sackler Collections, is illustrated by R. Bagley in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington DC and Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1987, pp. 310-311.
A zun very similar to the present one in style, dated to the Late Shang-Early Western Zhou Dynasty was sold at Christie’s London, 15 May 2018, lot 40.