Bonhams. The Ollivier Collection of Early Chinese Art, London, 8 Nov 2018
A very rare inscribed archaic bronze vessel and cover, You, Mid Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046 – 256 BC)
(inscription on the cover)
(inscription inside the vessel)
Lot 15. A very rare inscribed archaic bronze vessel and cover, You, Mid Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046 – 256 BC); 25cm (9 2/4in) high. Estimate: £150,000 - 200,000 (€ 170,000 - 230,000). Unsold. © Bonhams.
Expertly cast of oval section, the slightly compressed pear-shaped body supported on a splayed foot, encircled by a band of pairs of crested birds confronted by taotiemasks all on a leiwen ground, the band interrupted on each side by a loop supporting the U-shaped bail handle with bovine-mask terminals cast with further bird motifs and lozenge-shaped bosses, the fitted and domed cover with a matching bird frieze, surmounted by a hollow oval knop, a smooth gray-green patina with malachite encrustation, the interior of the vessel and cover with an inscription reading 'Pi shu xian yi, ji bu yi, wei mu zong yi ze bei, yong qian mu ling'.
Provenance: Gisèle Croës Arts D'Extreme Orient, Brussels, 1997
Leon Derwa Collection, Belgium, 1998
Jean-Yves Ollivier Collection.
Published and Illustrated: G. Croës, From Ancient Kingdoms to Imperial China, International Asian Art Fair, New York, 1998, pp.30-31
K.Y.Cheung, 'The Inscriptions of Pi Shu Zun-Shedding New Light on Dispatch Wares of the Western Zhou', Bulletin of Institute of History and Philology, vol.1, Part 3, Taipei, 1999, p.772, fig.2.
Note: The you, as a type of sacrificial vessel for storing alcohol, appears to have emerged in the late Shang dynasty. Typically cast with a compressed pear-shaped body and overhead handle, the vessel form remained prominent during the early and mid-Western Zhou period.
The present lot exhibits decorative features typical of the early Western Zhou period, where cast decoration became less elaborate and simplified in comparison to earlier examples in the late Shang dynasty with complicated taotie masks covering the body of the vessel. The present lot is cast with crested birds flanked by a thin band of intricate archaic scrolls to the waisted neck, whilst the bulbous lower body is left plain. These features together form a balanced effect which gained popularity in the mid Western Zhou period.
The significance of this you lies first with the inscription seen on the bottom of the interior and underneath the cover. The inscription consists of seventeen characters reading:
否弔(叔)獻彝,疾不巳(已),爲母宗彝𠟭(則)備,用遣母霝
This may be translated as:
'Hereby Pi Shu offers this sacrificial vessel. When mother was gravely ill, a series of sacrificial vessels have been prepared for her funeral.'
Although the identity of Pi Shu remains unknown, another unusual aspect of this inscription is the use of the character qian (遣) on bronze specifically, to refer to a burial object.
The character qian, originally means 'to send' or 'to dispatch'. Cheung Kwong Yue, however, indicated that bronzes cast with inscriptions including the character qian should be called qian qi (遣器; 'burial object') instead of mingqi (明器) which was a common term in ancient China for wares buried with the deceased. Furthermore, inscriptions which include the character qian may have the function of inventorying. This suggests that a number of objects were buried. Qian ce (遣册), inventories written on bamboo or wooden slips have been widely found in tombs dated to the Eastern Zhou dynasty and Warring States period in the former areas of the Kingdom of Chu. The inscription on this lot, 'wei mu zong yi ze bei', translates as 'a series of sacrificial bronzes have been prepared'. This suggests that more than one piece was made for Pi Shu's mother. Cheung noted six additional bronze vessels, all of which had the inscription including the character 'qian', thus it can be argued that this lot belonged to this group, forming a complete set of sacrificial bronzes. For a discussion on this group of bronzes, see K.Y.Cheung, 'The Inscriptions of Pi Shu Zun-Shedding New Light on Dispatch Wares of the Western Zhou', Bulletin of Institute of History and Philology, vol.1, Part 3, Taipei, 1999, pp.761-778.
Compare with a similar archaic bronze vessel and cover, you, early Zhou dynasty, illustrated by J.Pope in The Freer Chinese Bronzes, vol.I: Catalogue, Washington, 1967, pp.305, pl.54. Another related bronze vessel and cover, you, Early Western Zhou dynasty, is illustrated by J.Rawson in Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections: vol.IIB, Washington D.C, 1995, p.494, pl.68.
A related archaic bronze you, early Western Zhou dynasty, was sold at Sotheby's New York, 21 March 2018, lot 584; see also a mid Western Zhou bronze you of similar shape but with different motif, which was sold at Christie's New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1524.
An exceptional archaic bronze ritual wine vessel and cover (you), Early Western Zhou dynasty, 10th century BC. Height 7 1/2 in., 19 cm. Sold for 325,000 USD at Sotheby's New York, 21 March 2018, lot 584. © Sotheby's
A rare small bronze ritual wine vessel and cover, you, middle Western Zhou dynasty, 10th century BC; 8¼ in. (20.9 cm.) high to top of handle. Sold for 422,500 USD at Christie's New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1524. © Christie's Images Ltd 2012.