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THBChinese Shang Dynasty Bronze Gu / Wine Vessel
Lot 68
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$3,000 - $4,500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jun 29, 2023
Set Reminder
2023-06-29 10:00:00
2023-06-29 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Ethnographic and Fine Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-ethnographic-and-fine-art-13031
Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (339)
- Lot Description
East Asia, China, Late Shang Dynasty, ca. 12th to 11th century BCE. A gorgeously preserved ritual wine vessel, known as a "gu", from the Chinese Bronze Age. The vessel has a trumpet-shaped neck and mouth, a midsection with four notched flanges, and a flaring foot with four long, curved notched flanges. Etched decoration covers much of the surface - leiwen-filled blades ("leiwen" is a motif of thunder) rise up the neck. Taotie masks decorate the midsection between the flanges, while the foot also has ornate taotie masks. Size: 5.8" Diameter x 11" H (14.7 cm x 27.9 cm)
The taotie is one of the "four fiends" or "four evil creatures" of Chinese mythology, and is a particularly fascinating and ancient symbol - seen on Shang Dynasty bronzes. In the Lushi Chunqiu, known in English as Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, a Chinese encyclopedia compiled around 239 BCE, the taotie is described thusly: "The taotie on Zhou bronzes has a head but no body. When it eats people, it does not swallow them, but harms them" (16/3a Prophecy). This and other ancient descriptions of the creature suggest that it related to making food offerings/sacrifices for the insatiable spirits of the dead. Some scholars believe that the creature is part of the mysterious communication between people and the gods.
We owe the preservation of these ancient bronzes to their burial, either in storage pits, where they were hastily hidden by fleeing members of a defeated elite house, or, more commonly, in tombs. During the Shang dynasty, members of the royalty were accompanied in the afterlife by their bronzes, ceramics, weapons, amulets, and ornaments, and even the human and animal entourage that surrounded them in life: servants, bodyguards, horses, chariots, and charioteers. Each tomb had a set of specialized bronze vessels, of which the gu was just one designed to hold wine.
Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection, acquired in the 1980s; ex-old English collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#177455Professionally repaired and restored with some light surface wear, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with impressive remaining decoration. Rich patina and earthen encrustations throughout.Condition
- Shipping Info
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