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Lot Essay
This type of unusual bronze ewer with bird finial was an innovation of the late Western Zhou and early Spring and Autumn period. A round, flat body decorated with geometric design in intaglio, raised on four small feet marked a departure from earlier round-bodied he, as discussed by Wang Tao in Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2009, no. 23.
A comparable piece is illustrated by Umehara in Nihon Shucha Shina Kodo Seika, Osaka, 1961, vol. IV, pl. 333; The main decorative elements of these pieces are similar: a high-relief animal head handle, and stylised scroll design, however the bird-shaped finial surmounts a removable lid. See also the ritual bronze wine vessel illustrated by C. Deydier in Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyinyang Collection, Hong Kong, 2013, vol. I, Annexe, pp.40-41.
Other Western Zhou 'bird' wine ewers can be seen in the Shaanxi History Museum, excavated from Qijia, Fufeng, or another well-known 'bird' ewer excavated at Tianma Qucun, see Li Xixing The Shaanxi Bronzes, Xi'an, 1994, p. 239. However these examples differ in scale and ornamentation, resting on higher legs, all with removable covers. The miniature scale and fused bird finial 'cover' of the present lot are unusual, and perhaps denote this piece as a mingqi funerary vessel used symbolically in burial, rather than a vessel used for wine rituals.
A comparable piece is illustrated by Umehara in Nihon Shucha Shina Kodo Seika, Osaka, 1961, vol. IV, pl. 333; The main decorative elements of these pieces are similar: a high-relief animal head handle, and stylised scroll design, however the bird-shaped finial surmounts a removable lid. See also the ritual bronze wine vessel illustrated by C. Deydier in Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyinyang Collection, Hong Kong, 2013, vol. I, Annexe, pp.40-41.
Other Western Zhou 'bird' wine ewers can be seen in the Shaanxi History Museum, excavated from Qijia, Fufeng, or another well-known 'bird' ewer excavated at Tianma Qucun, see Li Xixing The Shaanxi Bronzes, Xi'an, 1994, p. 239. However these examples differ in scale and ornamentation, resting on higher legs, all with removable covers. The miniature scale and fused bird finial 'cover' of the present lot are unusual, and perhaps denote this piece as a mingqi funerary vessel used symbolically in burial, rather than a vessel used for wine rituals.