LATE WARRING STATES PERIOD, 4TH-3RD CENTURY BC

A very similar, but slightly smaller (50.1 cm.), chunyu with tiger-form handle and pictographs of a ship, fish and human head cast on the flat top, is illustrated by E. von Erdberg in Chinese Bronzes from the Collection of Chester Dale and Dolly Carter, Switzerland, 1978, pp. 158-61, no. 90. The author suggests, p. 160, that drums of this type may have served a military function, perhaps to frighten the enemy. Two further chunyu of this type with tiger-form handles, but lacking the pictographs on the flat top, are illustrated by J. So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 1995, pp. 399-405, nos. 82 and 83, the first dated 4th-3rd century BC, the second late 3rd century BC. Also illustrated, p. 402, fig. 82.5, is a chunyu from Sichuan Fuling Xiaotianxi M2, dated to the 3rd century BC. The body of the tiger surmounting another chunyu, from Hunan Changde Xian, dated to the 4th century BC, illustrated p. 402, fig. 82.4, can be seen to be cast with decoration, as is the body of the tiger surmounting the chunyu from the Gordon Collection sold at Christie's New York, 24 March 2011, lot 1103. The decoration on both of these latter tigers is different from that of the present tiger.