Coco Li
Cataloguer / Sale Coordinator, Chinese Works of Art
This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in
Lot 54
AN ARCHAIC BRONZE FOOTED VESSEL AND COVER, DOU Late Spring and Autumn/early Warring States period, 6th/5th century BC
14 December 2023, 17:00 EST
New YorkSold for US$7,040 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Impressionist and Modern Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Dessa Goddard
Senior Vice President, US Head, Asian Art Group
Michael Hughes
Vice President and Head of Department
I-Hsuan Chen
Senior Specialist
AN ARCHAIC BRONZE FOOTED VESSEL AND COVER, DOU
Late Spring and Autumn/early Warring States period, 6th/5th century BC
The deep bowl and domed cover fitting together to form a spherical vessel raised on a pedestal base, the sides of the bowl finely cast with kui dragons neatly staggered in three rows, above a raised ridge and leaf-shaped pendants filled with key-fret, the cover similarly decorated with kui dragons, between a band of rope-twist at the rim and a band of triangular and fiddlehead near the top as well as on the wide-flaring crown, the flaring foot also decorated with a band of rope-twist echoing the design at the rim of the cover, a pair of ring-handles attached to the waist, the design inlaid with a black pigment or lacquer to enhance the contrast, the silvery-grey bronze with earth and malachite encrustation throughout.
9in (23cm) wide; 6 3/4in (17.1cm) high
The deep bowl and domed cover fitting together to form a spherical vessel raised on a pedestal base, the sides of the bowl finely cast with kui dragons neatly staggered in three rows, above a raised ridge and leaf-shaped pendants filled with key-fret, the cover similarly decorated with kui dragons, between a band of rope-twist at the rim and a band of triangular and fiddlehead near the top as well as on the wide-flaring crown, the flaring foot also decorated with a band of rope-twist echoing the design at the rim of the cover, a pair of ring-handles attached to the waist, the design inlaid with a black pigment or lacquer to enhance the contrast, the silvery-grey bronze with earth and malachite encrustation throughout.
9in (23cm) wide; 6 3/4in (17.1cm) high
Footnotes
春秋末/戰國初期 紀元前六/五世紀 青銅雙環耳蟠龍紋豆
Bronze dou, a ritual vessel for offering condiments and grains, first appeared at the end of Shang dynasty and became part of the ritual set in the Eastern Zhou dynasty. The disc-shaped crown on the cover serves as the foot for a shallow bowl when inverting the cover.
The discovery and excavation of the ancient foundry site in the mid-20th century at present day Houma, Shanxi province, unearthed over 1200 pieces of pottery molds and models used for bronze casting. The facility was established in early 6th century BC by the rulers of the Jin State. The wealth of patterned pottery molds and models is an unparalleled source for understanding the style and the complex casting technologies of this period, specifically in the Shanxi region.
Compare the kui dragon designs similar to the present example, published in Art of the Houma Foundry: Institute of Archaeology of Shanxi Province, Princeton, 1992, p. 211, no. 322 and p. 220, no. 355 and 356.
Compare also the similar bronze dou unearthed in 1988 at Jinsheng village, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, illustrated in Compendium of Chinese Bronze, Vol. 8, Eastern Zhou II, Beijingm 1995, p. 37, pls. 40-41.