A POWERFUL FALCON-HEADED BRONZE POURING VESSEL, YI, CHU KINGDOM, WARRING STATES PERIOD

拍品描述

A POWERFUL FALCON-HEADED BRONZE POURING VESSEL, YI, CHU KINGDOM, WARRING STATES PERIOD China, 475-221 BC. Finely cast, the deep vessel supported on a tall splayed foot, the spout superbly modeled as a falcon’s head with large round eyes, curved crest, and the beak wide open, the other side with the bird’s tail. Dimensions: Length 28.7 cm Pouring vessels of this elegant form were produced during the Warring States period in both bronze and painted lacquer in the state of Chu, which dominated the region of the great lakes north of the Yangzi River. Artefacts from this southern region were among the earliest to incorporate avian and zoomorphic imagery consistently into designs in bronze and lacquered wood, drawing upon prototypes first developed in Neolithic ceramic traditions. Their archaeological contexts, including material recovered from the tomb of Zhao Tuo, a high official of the Chu state, at Baoshan, Jingmen City, Hubei Province, whose burial has been dated to 316 BC, together with inscriptions preserved on a number of surviving examples, indicate that vessels of this type were commissioned for and owned by individuals of the highest social rank, including members of the royal house, hereditary nobles, and rulers or senior officials of the regional states. Compare two related yi with bird’s heads excavated from Chu tombs at Baoshan, one in gilt bronze and the other in lacquer, both dated 4th century BC, illustrated by Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, 1995, p. 70, fig. 60a and 60b. Metallurgy: The metallurgical composition of the present bronze—77.6% copper, 19.5% tin, and 2.9% lead—is fully consistent with alloys employed during the Warring States period. The relatively high tin content is particularly characteristic of ancient Chinese high-tin bronzes, producing a hard alloy well suited to the casting of finely defined forms and details. The modest addition of lead would have improved the fluidity of the molten metal and facilitated casting. The detected copper- and zinc-sulfide inclusions, together with traces of iron, are likewise compatible with the use of naturally occurring, incompletely refined ores and metallurgical materials characteristic of ancient production. Taken as a whole, the composition represents a plausible and highly characteristic ancient Chinese Cu–Sn–Pb bronze alloy and is entirely consistent with a Warring States period attribution. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 28 July 2022, lot 3024 Price: HKD 126,000 or approx. EUR 15,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and manner of casting. Note the much smaller size (15.8 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 March 2002, lot 103 Price: USD 16,000 or approx. EUR 26,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and manner of casting. Note the much smaller size (12.7 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 24 November 2013, lot 488 Price: HKD 587,500 or approx. EUR 88,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related subject, modeling, and manner of casting. Note the much smaller size (15 cm).

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