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Lot Essay
Bronze tiger-form fittings of this type were originally used as the finial on top of a bronze drum, chunyu, which served as a musical instrument to give commands to troops, as stated in Zhouli (Rites of Zhou). From late Warring States (475-221 BC) to early Western Han (206 BC-AD8) the instrument was largely used by people in the State of Ba (?-316 BC), an ancient state in eastern Sichuan province whose border was shared by the Qin, Chu and Shu Kingdoms. According to legend, the founder of the State of Ba, Lord Lin, transformed into a white tiger after his death. Hence, the tiger motif signified the power, strength and supernatural forces of the Ba people.
Two chunyu drums bearing a similar tiger figure on top, but unornamented, are illustrated in J. So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 1995, pp. 399-405, nos. 82 and 83, the first dated 4th-3rd century BC, the second late 3rd century BC. Another example is a Western Han tiger-mounted chunyu in the Shaanxi History Museum Collection, China, illustrated by Li Xixing in The Shaanxi Bronzes, Xi’an, 1994, p. 284.
Two chunyu drums bearing a similar tiger figure on top, but unornamented, are illustrated in J. So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 1995, pp. 399-405, nos. 82 and 83, the first dated 4th-3rd century BC, the second late 3rd century BC. Another example is a Western Han tiger-mounted chunyu in the Shaanxi History Museum Collection, China, illustrated by Li Xixing in The Shaanxi Bronzes, Xi’an, 1994, p. 284.