SKU: 1987.
Categories: Shang Bronzes

Ref. no.:1987









Age:Late Shang Dynasty c.1300-1050 B.C.









Provenance:
1. Collection of a private Japanese collector
2. Sotheby's New York









Dimensions:16 x 32 cm











Description:
Of tall slender waisted form rising from a hollow base, the flaring neck with a wide trumpet mouth crisply cast with four tapering blades each containing a disjointed raised taotie mask set upside down on a fine leiwen ground emerged from a band of angular snake motifs, the straight central section and gently flared foot both similarly decorated with two taotie masks assembled from isolated raised elements and bisected by narrow notched flanges, those on the foot with prominent eyes and brows set below a band of four dragons, all in relief and reserved on layers of finely cast leiwen spiral ground, the surface in a matte light green patina with areas of brown and green encrustation
Gu was one of the most important types of ritual bronze vessels in the Shang dynasty. It was commonly used as a wine containing vessel by royal families or high ranking nobilities in ritual ceremonies, and bronze gu with height over 30 cm is rare. For a gu with very similar design, pattern and size, now kept in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, refer to National Palace Museum ed., Shang Ritual Bronzes in the National Palace Museum Collection , 1998, no.41, pp.280-283; also see National Palace Museum ed., Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Shang and Chou Dynasty Bronze Wine Vessels , 1989, pl.12, pp.84-85. Another bronze gu with similar design and size can be found in the Sakamoto collection in the Nara National Museum, Japan, illustrated in Junko Namba etal ., eds., Catalogue of the Collections of the Nara National Museum: Chinese Ancient Ritual Bronzes , Nara, 2005, no.42, p.19.
**PROVENANCE**
1. Collection of a private Japanese collector
2. Sotheby's New York