THE ‘YAO FU GAN’ (FATHER GAN OF THE YAO CLAN) BRONZE JIAO, SHANG DYNASTY, 14TH CENTURY BC

拍品描述

THE ‘YAO FU GAN’ (FATHER GAN OF THE YAO CLAN) BRONZE JIAO, SHANG DYNASTY, 14TH CENTURY BC Expert’s note The present jiao ranks among the finest and most important examples of its type known. It unites a substantial four-element inscription with exceptionally crisp, densely worked decoration, including the very rare continuation of cicada-blade ornament onto all three blade-shaped legs. The powerful taotie masks, prominent eyes, raised brows, C-shaped ears, and intricate leiwen remain remarkably sharp, attesting to both the quality of the casting and its exceptional preservation. Concealed beneath the handle and conventionally read Yao Fu Gan, the inscription connects the vessel with the ancestral and social order of the Shang elite, transforming this magnificent ritual object into an important historical document. Inscriptions: Below the handle, comprising four pictographic elements arranged in two vertical registers. Following the reading proposed by Christian Deydier, the first is read Yao, the second Fu (‘father’ or paternal ancestor), while the third and fourth are understood together as the compound graph Gan. The inscription may therefore be transliterated Yao Fu Gan (爻父敢) and cautiously rendered ‘(Made for) Father Gan of Yao’. An important epigraphic parallel appears on a closely related bronze jiao formerly in the Cunliffe Collection, published and exhibited by Christian Deydier, The Lippens’ Collection of Ancient Chinese Bronzes, Hong Kong, 2019, p. 54-57, no. 14, sold at the time for USD 280,000 or approx. EUR 311,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). That inscription repeats the four pictographic components found on the present lot but includes the additional graph yi (乙), which Deydier records as Yao Fu Yi Gan and translates ‘Father Yi Gan of Yao’. Because the final two components are read together as the single graph Gan, Deydier describes the comparative inscription as comprising four characters, although visually it contains one more component than the inscription on the present vessel. Crucially, no yi character is seen on the present bronze. This parallel nevertheless raises the possibility that an additional ancestral day-name such as yi once formed part of a longer formula, or that the present inscription represents an abbreviated version of it. Yao has previously been identified as the name or emblem (zuhui 族徽) of an important Shang clan, lineage, or descent group. On this interpretation, Gan may have designated an individual or a subsidiary group associated with the larger Yao lineage, making the inscription a statement of ancestral dedication and social identity. Scholarship has, on the other hand, also cautioned against treating pictographic emblems exclusively as equivalents of hereditary surnames: some signs may instead have denoted an official title, inherited office, or other form of institutional status. China. The body is raised on three tall, curved blade-form legs and finely cast in relief with two taotie masks, one divided by the loop handle and the other divided by a narrow vertical flange, all beneath a band of upright blades at the flared mouth, the legs each similarly cast with cicada blades. A four-character inscription is cast under the handle. Dimensions: Height 22.8 cm Far rarer and larger than the closely related jue, the jiao is distinguished by its wide mouth terminating in two symmetrically pointed tips and by the absence of the long pouring spout and capped posts characteristic of the jue. Both forms were employed for heating and serving wine during ancestral rituals, their tripod construction allowing them to be placed over a fire or among hot embers. Archaeological excavations have established that the jiao was already in use during the Erligang period and continued to be produced into the Western Zhou dynasty. For a detailed discussion of the formal and stylistic development of the jiao vessel type, see Robert W. Bagley, Ancient Chinese Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. 1, 1987, p. 208-214. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related bronze jiao, dated 14th-12th century BC, 24.4 cm high, in the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, object number 1948.290. Compare a related bronze jiao, dated 11th century BC, 22.5 cm high, illustrated and exhibited by J. J. Lally, 19 March-9 April 2011, New York, no. 1. Compare a related bronze jiao, dated 11th-10th century BC, 24.9 cm high, formerly in the collection of Goro Sakamoto and now in the Nara National Museum, accession number 1317-37. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 March 2017, lot 1011 Price: USD 162,500 or approx. EUR 192,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: : Compare the closely related form, manner of casting, and motifs. Note the size (16.7 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams London, 8 November 2018, lot 25 Mid-Estimate: GBP 175,000 or approx. EUR 276,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of casting, motifs, and size (22 cm).

图片