Shang Dynasty

The Personal Collection of the late Sir Joseph Hotung. Lot 104. An archaic bone carving, Shang dynasty, Anyang period, 14th-13th century BC; 9.4 cm. Lot sold: 378,000 HKD (Estimate: 100,000 - 150,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2022 the thick shaft of animal bone incised finely with a pair of large confronted kui dragons shown in profile, coming across the narrow edge to form a zoomorphic mask, and with two smaller kui dragons forming another zoomorphic mask on the... [Lire la suite]

Tortoise plastron with divination, Shang dynasty, Bronze Age, Yin Ruins, 127 Xiaotun Ash Pit, Anyang County, Henan Province, Collection of Institute of History and Linguistics, Academia Sinica, R041287. The oracle bones of the Yin King Wuding period. Bu asked Empress Wuding about giving birth. Guess the sex of good and bad from the date of birth.

Tortoise plastron with divination, Shang dynasty, Bronze Age, Yin Ruins, 127 Xiaotun Ash Pit, Anyang County, Henan Province, Collection of Institute of History and Linguistics, Academia Sinica, R044284. This is a combination of two plastrons, and the inscription is filled with ink. Engraved with 33 characters of oracle bone script. The content is that on the day of Xin You, the divination asks whether the hostile country can be defeated.

  Turtle plastron with filled Zhubu Ci, Shang dynasty, Bronze Age, Yin Ruins, 127 Xiaotun Ash Pit, Anyang County, Henan Province, Collection of Institute of History and Linguistics, Academia Sinica, R044852. Inscribed with oracle bone inscriptions. The lettering is filled with ink. The content of this edition is an inscription asking whether the crops have a good harvest, and "Wei" is the name of a virtuous person. What is worth noting in this edition is that some of the inscriptions are directly engraved on the... [Lire la suite]

Fragment of human skull engraving, Shang dynasty, Bronze Age, Yin Ruins, Xiaotun, Anyang County, Henan Province, Collection of Institute of History and Linguistics, Academia Sinica, R040438. Fragment of a human skull with the character "Wu" engraved on it. After the Yin people conquered the enemy state, they often sacrificed their ancestors by capturing the heads of the enemy rulers. For example, there is a divination in which "the Qiang side is used by the sect, and Wang Shouyou", "the Qiang side is used for its use, and the king... [Lire la suite]

Deer skull with engraving, Shang dynasty, Bronze Age, Yin Ruins, Xiaotun, Anyang County, Henan Province. Collection of Institute of History and Linguistics, Academia Sinica, R041039. It is a deer skull, engraved with 14 oracle bones, and the font style is the same as R041038. The record of the hunting of the King of Yin's fields includes the time and place of the hunting. It is possible that when a deer was hunted in the field, the relevant events were engraved on the deer's head.

Deer skull with engraving, Shang dynasty, Bronze Age, Yin Ruins, Xiaotun, Anyang County, Henan Province. Collection of Institute of History and Linguistics, Academia Sinica, R041038. It is a deer skull, engraved with 15 oracle bones, and the font style is the same as R041039. It is recorded that after the king of Yin conquered the Fang Kingdom, he returned to hunt in the artemisia field and obtained the prey to sacrifice to Wenwuding.

Lot 139. A small beige jade ceremonial blade (Ge), Shang dynasty. Length 2⅜ in., 6.1 cm. Estimate:2,500 - 3,500 USD. Lot sold: 6,930 USD. © Sothebys. Provenance: Collection of Dr Wou Kiuan (1910-1997). Wou Lien-Pai Museum, 1968-present, coll. no. E.3.6 10. Sotheby's. A Journey Through China's History. The Dr Wou Kiuan Collection Part 1, New York, 22 March 2022

Lot 138. A pale green jade ceremonial blade (Ge), Shang dynasty. Length 3⅝ in., 9.2 cm. Estimate:4,000 - 6,000 USD. Lot sold: 6,300 USD.  © Sothebys. Provenance: Collection of Dr Wou Kiuan (1910-1997). Wou Lien-Pai Museum, 1968-present, coll. no. E.3.6. Sotheby's. A Journey Through China's History. The Dr Wou Kiuan Collection Part 1, New York, 22 March 2022

Lot 101. A pale celadon jade cong, Neolithic period, first half of the 2nd millennium BC; h. 15.5 cm, inner d. 6.8 cm. Lot sold: 2,016,000 HKD (Estimate: 600,000 - 800,000 HKD). © Sotheby's. Provenance: Collection of Julius Eberhardt (1936-2012), Vienna, acquired in 1994. Literature: Regina Krahl, Sammlung Julius Eberhardt/Collection Julius Eberhardt, Hong Kong, n.d. (1999), cat. no. 33. Note: Originating from the Liangzhu culture in the Yangtze River Delta, jade cong stand... [Lire la suite]