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THE RONG FU JUE A BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL LATE SHANG DYNASTY, 13TH-11TH CENTURY BC
Description
- bronze
Provenance
Collection of Wu Dacheng (1835-1902).
Private Japanese collection.
Literature
Wu Shifen, Meigulu jinwen, (The Records of Pursuing Antiquity: Archaic Bronze Inscriptions), 1850, vol. 1.1, p. 7.
Fang Junyi, Zhuiyizhai yiqikuanzhi kaoshi, (Interpretations of Archaic Bronze Inscriptions in the Zhuiyizhai Studio), 1899, vol. 19, p. 31.
Luo Zhenyu, Yinwencun, (Surviving Writings from the Yin Dynasty), 1917, vol. 2, p. 5.
Luo Zhenyu, Sandai jijin wencun, (Surviving Writings from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties), 1936, vol. 16, p. 16.
Yan Yiping, Jinwen Zongji, (Corpus of Bronze Inscriptions), Taipei, 1983, no. 3884.
The Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Yinzhou jinwen jicheng, (Compendium of Yin and Zhou Bronze Inscriptions), Beijing, 1984, vol. 14, p. 202, no. 8567.
Wu Zhenfeng, Shangzhou qingtongqi mingwen ji tuxiang jicheng, (Compendium of Inscriptions and Images of Bronzes from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties), Shanghai, 2012, vol. 16, p. 82, no. 7877.
Zhou Ya, Kezhai jigutu jianzhu, (The Annotations on the Illustration of Kezhai’s [Wu Dacheng] Collected Antiquities), Shanghai, 2012, p. 24.
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
In many publications, the first character of the inscription on this jue vessel has been mistakenly translated as yan due to the difficulty of discerning the ink-rubbing of the inscription underneath the handle, on which the character fu is also omitted. The first character is actually a clan sign reading rong that comprises a fire flame on top and a tripod at the bottom. The difference between rong and yan is that the former has a three-pronged top denoting the fire flame, which was omitted in all rubbings and drawings in old illustrations. A jue vessel bearing the clan sign rong excavated from Sufutun, Qingzhou city, Shandong province is illustrated in Wu Zhenfeng, Shangzhou qingtongqi mingwen ji tuxiang jicheng, (Compendium of Inscriptions and Images of Bronzes from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties), Shanghai, 2012, vol. 14, p. 37, no.6434.
The box for this lot is inscribed with a research note written by Professor Matsumaru Michio, dated 2000.
Wu Dacheng, was born in Wuxian (Suzhou) in 1835. He was a follower of the important politician and diplomat Li Hongzhang (1823-1901), and served as a high ranking official at the Manchu Court, but his real passion was in traditional arts and collecting. He named his studio “Ke Zhai”, because he once owned a Zhou dynasty bronze vessel Ke Ding; he published his collection in Kezhai jigulu, (Kezhai’s [Wu Dacheng] Records of Collecting Antiquities). He was also an accomplished calligrapher and amateur painter.