A PAIR OF BRONZE RITUAL VESSELS, JIAN

SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD

Details

A PAIR OF BRONZE RITUAL VESSELS, JIAN
Spring and Autumn Period
Each bowl shaped with rounded sides, encircled around the widest part by a wide band of interlocking stylized dragon motifs, each with finely chased spiraling, hatched and seeded decoration, divided by plain bands above a band of different stylized dragons and below a narrow band of intertwined S-shaped dragons about the waisted rim, flanked by a pair of taotie masks, each suspending a loose ring handle, the interior plain with patches of red encrustation, some small patches of thicker encrustation throughout
14in. (35.6cm.) diam. overall (2)

Literature

Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibition, Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 1990, Catalogue, p. 392, no. 183

Exhibited

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibition, Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, November 30, 1990 - February 10, 1991, no. 183
Hong Kong, The University of Hong Kong Art Gallery, Art Treasures from Shanghai and Hong Kong, November 9, 1996 - January 25, 1997, pp. 76-77, nos. 7 and 8

Lot Essay

The decoration on the sides of the present example can best be compared to the decoration on a Late Spring and Autumn period (late 6th/early 5th century B.C.) ding from North Central China, Shanxi and Henan provinces, published by Jenny So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, 1995, New York, pp. 142-143, no. 16