AN ARCHAIC RITUAL BRONZE WINE VESSEL AND COVER, YOU

Early Western Zhou Dynasty

Footnotes

西周早期 青銅虎首提樑卣

Provenance:
Ngai Tile Wave, Hong Kong
An Asian private collection, acquired from the above on 30 May 2015

Published and Illustrated:
Z.F.Wu, Shang Zhou qingtong qi mingwen ji tuxiang jicheng sanpian (Compendium of important inscriptions and images of bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties III), Shanghai, 2017, vol.3, p.228, no.1134.

來源：
香港藝雅廊
亞洲私人收藏，2015年5月30日購於上者

出版及著錄：
吳鎮烽，《商周青銅器銘文暨圖像集成三編》，上海，2017年，卷3，頁228，編號1134。

銘文：（蓋內及腹內）丁卯，厂貝（一字）易（賜）馬于氒（厥）考，用乍季娗日癸尊彝。戈。

Inscription: Dingmao, Yuancima yu juekao, yongzuo Jitingrigui (ritual name) zunyi. Ge (On the date of Dingmao, Yuan of the Ge family was awarded with horses from his father, he made this precious vessel for Jiting Rigui.)

According to the inscription, Yuan was the owner of the vessel, and received horses from his father. Rigui (日癸) refers to the ritual date and Ge (戈) the name/emblem of a major family of the Shang dynasty. The combination of ritual date and family emblem/name is a Shang tradition, so it can be seen that this vessel probably belonged to the descendants of an important family from the Shang dynasty. Jiting (季娗) is a female name. Shang and Zhou bronzes were made for women; either mothers such as those used in funerals; or for those accompanying new brides. The inscription earlier mentioned that he received horses from his father, so it would be unreasonable for this to be used for a wedding ceremony. It seems more reasonable that this was cast for Yuan's mother, Jiting.

Compare with a a related you with loop handle, Western Zhou dynasty, excavated from Henan Province, illustrated in Zhongguo chutu qingtong qi quanji, Beijing, 2018, fig.294. It is quite rare to have tiger heads at both ends of the handle, and in the Western Zhou period it was more common to see the heads of tapirs, dragons, deer and rabbits. Compare with a related you with loop handle, Western Zhou dynasty, excavated from Shanxi, with similar tiger heads on the handles and phoenix pattern band, illustrated in ibid., fig.224. Compare the shape of the present lot also with another you, Western Zhou dynasty, illustrated in ibid., fig.6363.

See also a related archaic bronze vessel, you, late Shang dynasty, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 18 March 2014, lot 9.

卣蓋穹頂，上鑄菌狀鈕捉手，近蓋緣鑄鳳鳥紋一周，前後正中起短扉棱，扉棱兩側各鑄鳳鳥兩隻，雷紋填地，蓋緣內收，卣溜肩，肩部正中鑄獸首，兩側對稱飾鳳鳥紋三隻，雷紋填地，前後皆然，肩部兩側鑄環耳，內套鑄虎首提樑，樑身飾羽翅紋，正中凸起點睛，填雷紋地，卣身鼓腹下垂，光素無紋，圈足內收外撇，上飾兩道弦紋。

厂貝（一字）為器主，厥考即其父，「易（賜）馬于氒（厥）考」意即于其父得賜馬匹。季娗後面有「日癸」及「戈」字，「日癸」為日名，戈為商代大族，日名加族徽的組合為商人傳統，可知此器很有可能屬於商人後裔。季姬之「季」為排行，位第三，娗為其名。商周為女性作器，一為其母，如葬禮所用之遣器；一為媵器，即送嫁器物。 此段銘文前面提到從其父處得賜馬匹，如果為此做此卣作為女兒出嫁媵器，情理不通。如作為母親鑄卣解，當更合理。

參考一件出土於河南之西周提梁卣，除提樑兩端不同之外，餘皆頗似，見《中國出土青銅器全集》，北京，2018年，卷10，圖版294。提樑兩端作虎首頗為少見，一般西周提樑卣提樑兩端作貘首、龍首、鹿首、兔首等居多。可參考一件出土於山西之西周提樑卣，其提樑之虎首及頸部之鳳鳥紋帶飾與本件頗類，見前書，卷4，圖版224。此類下垂袋腹式呈梨形之提樑卣，亦有商代遺風，其提梁多做素面或者索形，可比較山西出土一件商代晚期提樑卣，身形類似，見前書，卷3，圖版6363；亦可參考紐約蘇富比2014年3月18日售出一件商代晚期提樑卣之身形，拍品編號9。