An archaic bronze ritual wine vessel and cover, You, Western Zhou dynasty | 西周 買王卣

Collection of Liu Tizhi (1879-1962).

Sotheby's London, 17th March 1959, lot 123.

Collection of Dr Wou Kiuan (1910-1997).

Wou Lien-Pai Museum, 1968-present, coll. no. E.7.3.

劉體智 (1879-1962) 收藏

倫敦蘇富比1959年3月17日，編號123

吳權博士 (1910-1997) 收藏

吳蓮伯博物院，1968年至今，編號E.7.3

Luo Zhenyu, Zhensongtang jigu yiwen, [Gathering of Ancient Writings in the Zhensongtang Studio: addendum], 1931, vol. 8, p. 25-26.

Bao Ding, Shanzhai jijinlu [Archaic bronzes from Shanzhai], vol. 4 , 1934, p. 25. 

Liu Tizhi, Xiaojiaojingge jinwen taben [Rubbings of archaic bronze inscriptions in the Xiaojiaojingge], vol. 4, 1935, p. 37.

Luo Zhenyu, Sandai jijin wencun [Surviving writings from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties], vol. 13, 1937, p. 21-22.

Rong Geng, Shanzhai yiqi tulu [Catalogue of Vessels Collected in the Studio of Benevolence], 1936, pl. 113.

Wang Xiantang, Guoshi jinshi zhigao [A record of bronze and stone inscriptions in Chinese history], Qingdao, 2004, no. 122.

Yan Yiping, Jinwen Zongji [Corpus of Bronze Inscriptions], Taipei, 1983, no. 5350.

Rose Kerr et al., Chinese Antiquities from the Wou Kiuan Collection. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, Hong Kong, 2011, pl. 18.

Wu Zhenfeng, Shangzhou qingtongqi mingwen ji tuxiang jicheng [Compendium of inscriptions and images of bronzes from Shang and Zhou Dynasties], vol. 25, Shanghai, 2012, no. 13090.

羅振玉，《貞松堂集古遺文》，1931年，卷8，第25-26頁

鮑鼎，《善齋吉金錄》，卷4，1934年，頁25

劉體智，《小校經閣金文拓本》，1935年，卷4，第37頁

羅振玉，《三代吉金文存》，1937年，卷13，第21-22頁

容庚，《善齋彝器圖錄》，1936年，編號113

嚴一萍，《金文總集》，台北，1983年，編號5350

王獻唐，《國史金石志稿》，青島，2004年，編號122

柯玫瑰等，《Chinese Antiquities from the Wou Kiuan Collection. Wou Lien-Pai Museum》，香港，2011年，圖版18

吳鎮烽，《商周青銅器銘文暨圖像集成》，卷23，上海，2012年，編號13090

The present you is distinguished by simplistic design at the terminals of the handle and the frieze of around the shoulder of the vessel. These features appeared on you from as early as the Shang dynasty, such as one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Bronze Ritual Vessels and Musical Instruments, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 82. Bronze you are sacrificial wine vessels that emerged as one of the major ritual receptacles in the late Shang dynasty and remained prominent until the middle Western Zhou dynasty.

This you vessel is cast with a five-character inscription on the cover, and a related six-character one to the interior of the vessel, both of which may be interpreted as 'King Mai of Da made this precious vessel', and is notable for the content of its inscription. Whilst no records of the state Mai appeared to have been documented, it is possible that Mai was one of the many neighbouring states active during the early Zhou dynasty. Only two other bronze 'Mai Wang' vessels appeared to have been recorded, both in the form of a Gu and formerly in the collection of Liu Tizhi (1879-1962), and known only from their line drawings and the rubbings of their inscriptions. See Bao Ding, Shanzhai jijinlu [Archaic bronzes from Shanzhai], vol. 5, 1934, p. 38.