Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 20 - 21 March 2014
A small bronze bell, nao, Shang dynasty, Anyang, 12th-11th century BC
Lot 2010. A small bronze bell, nao, Shang dynasty, Anyang, 12th-11th century BC; 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm.) high. Estimate USD 35,000 - USD 45,000. Price Realized USD 62,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2014.
Of lenticular section, each side is cast in high relief with a taotie mask with buffalo horns below a square panel (striking area). The hollow, tapering shank opens into the base of the bell, and the interior wall is cast with a two-character inscription, wood box.
Provenance: Luo Zhenyu (1866-1940) Collection.
Takeuchi, Kyoto, 1987.
Sze Yuan Tang Collection, Hong Kong.
Christie's New York, The Sze Yuan Tang Archaic Bronzes from the Anthony Hardy Collection, 16 September 2010, lot 812.
Note: Compare the pair of ding of approximately the same size and with similar upper taotie band, but with cicada centering the pendent blades encircling the body, illustrated in Royal Ontario Museum, The T.T. Tsui Galleries of Chinese Art, Toronto, 1986, no. 12.