Bo Gu Gallery

Bo Gu Gallery

Bo Gu Gallery

AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL (LIDING) LATE SHANG DYNASTY

Li-Ding (Tripod Vessel of Li–Ding Type) Late Shang Dynasty (circa 12th–11th century BC) Height: 20.3 cm The li-ding, commonly referred to as a “separated-crotch ding,” represents a hybrid form combining elements of the ding and the li. The upper portion resembles a ding, while the lower body adopts the pouched form characteristic of a li. Unlike the typical hollow bag-legs of the li, however, it stands on relatively elongated conical or columnar legs, distinguishing it structurally from the standard li type. The li-ding first appeared in the early Shang dynasty and developed fully by the late Shang period. By the early Western Zhou, its defining separated-crotch feature became increasingly indistinct, and the form gradually degenerated, blurring the distinction between li-ding and ordinary ding vessels. This example, dating to the late Shang dynasty, displays a well-matured patina indicative of long transmission. It has a flat, square-rimmed mouth and a pair of upright loop handles. The slightly constricted neck rises above three pronounced pouched lobes, each terminating in a columnar leg.

Former Collection of Dr. Wu Quan Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Dabanruo boluomiduo jing), Scroll 130

Description Yao Liang The Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra (The Large Perfection of Wisdom Sutra) (section), ink on paper, handscroll 姚良大般若波羅蜜多經(部分) 水墨紙本手卷 ink on paper, handscroll 經文釋文略外簽：唐人王宗經姚良奴寫大般若波羅蜜多經。庚午莫春。□□。鈐印：鑒□ 款識：王宗經姚良奴寫。鈐印：延陵。鑒藏印：吳權、衡之長壽 Height 9¾ in., 24.8 cm; Width 299¾ in., 761.5 cm Condition report Provenance Collection of Dr Wou Kiuan (1910-1997). Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. 275. 吳權博士 (1910-1997) 收藏吳蓮伯博物院，編號275 Sold

Ruigong ShuZ Bronze Pan 芮公叔盤

Date Late Middle Western Zhou period, corresponding approximately to the reigns of King Zhao and King Mu (Zhao–Mu period). Dimensions Height: 9.9 cm Mouth diameter: 35.4 cm Form and Decoration The vessel has a straight mouth and shallow basin, with a narrow rim and squared lip. It lacks handles. The ring foot is relatively tall and does not flare outward. The body is decorated with elongated bird motifs (chang wu wen 長烏紋), while the ring foot bears kui-dragon motifs (kui long wen 夔龍紋), both set against a ground of leiwen (cloud-and-thunder) pattern. The long-tailed bird motif belongs to Type III-4 of the bird-pattern typology. Both the stylistic features and ornamental vocabulary retain an early Western Zhou character. Accordingly, this pan should date to the Zhao–Mu period, and certainly no later than the reign of King Mu. Inscription Cast inside the basin is an inscription of 33 characters. Transcription (in modern characters) 唯十又一月，王至于祈，內（芮）公易（錫）貝百朋，內（芮）（姒）易（錫）貝卅朋。內（芮）公弔（叔）用乍（作）內（芮）少（姒），孫子（永）寶。

Qi Baishi (1864–1957) “West Mountain Still Stands — There Is No Need for Sorrow” Seal Script

Qi Baishi (1864–1957) Hanging Scroll, ink (and color) on paper

A RARE PAIR OF INSCRIBED BRONZE GU (商晚期伒冊亯觚一對)

Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang period, Yinxu Phase III (circa 12th–11th century BC) Each elegantly cast with a flared trumpet mouth rising from a tall, waisted neck to a swelling central section, the lower body tapering to a high ring foot with the edge folded outward to form a pronounced flange, the central register crisply decorated with stylized bovine-horned taotie masks divided by flanges and bordered by raised bow-string bands, the interior of the foot cast with a clan emblem reading Jin Ce Xiang (伒冊亯), the surface with deep olive-green patina and areas of malachite encrustation. Height: 22.2 cm Diamter: 13.9 cm Accession nos. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston): 313.40.a; 312.40.a PROVENANCE P. S. Hopkins (1887–1969), prior to 1931. On loan to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1931 (accession nos. 313.40.a and 312.40.a). Sold at Sotheby's, New York, 8 May 1981, lot 22 (hammer price: USD 15,000). EXHIBITED Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1931 (loan exhibition).

A FINE AND RARE INSCRIBED BRONZE ‘TAOTIE’ AND BANANA-LEAF DECORATED GU (青銅饕餮蕉葉紋「弔子」觚)

Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang period, 12th–11th century BC Inscribed Shu Zi (弔子) Height: 28cm  Of elegant archaic form, the vessel is of circular section and trumpet-shaped profile, rising from a high ring foot to a slender, waisted neck and flared mouth. Prominent raised flanges accentuate the waist and foot. The neck is decorated with stylized banana-leaf motifs, while the central register is cast in high relief with a bold bovine-horned taotie mask divided by vertical flanges. Between the waist and foot are two cross-shaped openwork apertures bordered by bow-string bands. Fine intaglio lines are engraved over the taotie motifs against a densely rendered leiwen (thunder-pattern) ground. The decoration is arranged in three tiers incorporating taotie and dragon motifs, with traces of cinnabar remaining within the recesses. The surface has developed a rich malachite-green patina of lustrous tone, and the decoration is exceptionally well preserved — a rare condition for bronzes of this period. The vessel represents a particularly refined and sculptural example of late Anyang ritual bronze casting. The interior wall of the foot bears the two-character inscription: 弔子 (Shu Zi)

A RARE INSCRIBED BRONZE LI TRIPOD (亯聿鬲)

Late Shang to Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 12th-11th century BC Inscription: 亯聿 Height: 17cm  Provenance: Collection of Jung Hou (1874-1945) Collection of Sir Michael Oppenheimer (1924-2020) and Mrs. Helen Oppenheimer (1926-2022) Dating to the late Shang–early Western Zhou period, this bronze li-shaped vessel features a flared mouth, tall constricted neck with taotie band and traces of black lacquer, thin rim with upright handles, and a pouch-shaped belly tapering into three columnar legs. The surface is adorned with leiwen motifs, and the interior bears the inscription “亯聿 (Xiang Yu)”. Standing 17 cm high, it exemplifies the transitional form between ding and li types and reflects refined craftsmanship. The vessel was formerly in the collection of Rong Hou (1874–1945), Manchu noble and first president of the Central Bank of Manchukuo, and was published in Umehara Sueji’s Kanka Rō Kichintō (1947), a seminal catalogue prefaced by Luo Zhenyu documenting 169 bronzes from Rong Hou’s renowned collection.

Ritual Tripod Cauldron with Loop Handles, Decorated with Bovine Mask and Chi-Dragon Motif (附耳牛头螭纹升鼎)

Eastern Zhou: late Spring and Autumn period, 6th century BC North-central China: Shanxi province Height: 35.6cm Mouth diameter: 48.4cm Weight: 13.5kg  Provenance: Collection of John B. Kendrick II (1931–2021), Denver, Colorado, acquired between 1965-1990 Comparable examples were excavated at Liyu, Hunyuan County, Shanxi, and from the tomb of Zhao Qing in Taiyuan. Executed in the Houma style, this large ding with coiled dragon decoration dates to the Spring and Autumn period. Ding of this type, decorated with chilong dragons, were among the larger vessels within the Spring and Autumn ritual ding sets and are most frequently associated with the Jin cultural sphere. Comparable examples are preserved in the collections of the National Museum of Asian Art, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In both ornamentation and dimensions, the present vessel closely resembles the example in Houston, and the two may originally have formed a pair.

Archaic Bronze Wine Vessel Inscribed “Fu Ding Ran Jian Ce” (父丁冉幵册斝)

Early to Middle Western Zhou, 12th century BC Inscription: 父丁冉幵册 Height: 35cm  Provenance:  Weisbrod Chinese Art, Ltd, 1998 Sondra Landy Gross, 1999-2022 Flared mouth, tall neck, and columnar legs with divided flanges. The two supporting columns spread outward in an umbrella shape, their tops decorated with ba motifs. The shoulder is adorned with a taotie mask composed of confronting kuilong dragons, while the lower body bears two bands of V-shaped angular patterns. A two-line, five-character inscription "父丁冉幵册is cast inside the cover. In form, dimensions, and ornamentation, this vessel closely resembles the Xiaochen jia in the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Zhe jia in the Zhouyuan Museum of Baoji.

Archaic Bronze Wine Vessel, Zhi, Inscribed “Bo Qiu” (伯逑觶)

Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 9th century BC   Inscription: 伯逑乍宮公寶尊彝 Height: 18.4cm  Provenance: Collection of C.S. Chen, Southern California, acquired in Los Angeles The vessel has a flared mouth and a rounded body, fitted with a domed cover surmounted by a semicircular loop handle. The mouth tapers to a constricted neck above a slightly splayed circular foot. The rim of the cover and the neck of the vessel are decorated with kuilong (taotie-like dragon) motifs: the dragons are shown with pendent crests and backward-turned heads, their tails curving beneath into blade-like forms. The foot is encircled by two bands of string patterns. This piece closely resembles the Gong Zhong zhi unearthed at Liulihe, Beijing, in 1974, as well as the zhi in the collection of the Shouyang Studio, catalogue no. 23. The form and the calligraphic style of the inscription correspond to the typology associated with the reigns of Kings Kang and Zhao of the early Western Zhou period.

A Rare Archaic Bronze Ding with Phoenix Decoration (鳳紋鼎)

Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 9th century BC Height: 15.6cm  Mouth diameter: 22cm Weight: 3.5kg Provenance: Private Collection, Switzerland This bronze ding shares stylistic affinities with the Rui gong ding. The ears are now missing, and the surface bears natural reddish and green patination with traces of thin wax, suggesting that the vessel has been preserved as a transmitted piece rather than an excavated find. The mouth is slightly everted with a flat, outward-folded rim; the body is globular with a rounded base supported on hoof-shaped legs. The exterior of the body is decorated with qièqū (interlocking scroll) motifs and stylised phoenix designs.

A Rare Archaic Bronze Li-Ding Inscribed “Ju Fu Ji” Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang Period (舉父己鬲鼎)

Late Shang to Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 12th-11th century BC Inscription: 舉父己 Height: 22.7cm  Provenance: Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hartman Rare Art, 1980s Private Collection, New York, 1990s  This bronze vessel, transitional between a ding and a li, dates to the late Shang–early Western Zhou period. It features a flared mouth with upright loop handles, a tall neck with double string bands, a pouch-shaped belly, and three columnar legs. The undecorated surface reflects the early Western Zhou aesthetic that valued simplicity when bronze resources were limited. Such hybrid forms illustrate the evolution of ritual bronzes from Shang to Zhou styles. An inscription inside the rim reads “舉父己 (ju fu ji)”, interpreted by Ma Xulun as ju (舉). Cao Dazhi later argued x may represent an early form of ji (季), denoting the youngest branch within a lineage. Comparative studies by Song Huaqian and Li Xueqin support this reading, suggesting the inscription refers to a collateral or junior family member who commissioned or dedicated the vessel.

A BRONZE ‘TAOTIE’-DECORATED ZUN

A BRONZE GU VESSEL Height: 25 cm Weight: 2.5 kg The vessel has a flared mouth, constricted neck, swelling body, and a high ring foot that spreads outward. The abdomen is carved with taotie motifs. The decoration is restrained and composed, and the overall form is archaic and austere in character. Provenance Purchased from T. K. Asian Antiquities, New York, circa 2005. Literature Celestial Guardians of Ancient China, T. K. Asian Antiquities, January 2000, p. 23.

A Rare Archaic Bronze ‘Er Bing Wu’ Gui (聑秉毌簋)

Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 9th century BC Mouth diameter: 21cm Provenance: Kusaka Shogado, Tokyo, Japan, December 22, 1958. Collection of Mark S. Pratt, Washington, D.C. Of circular form with an everted rim, swelling body, ring foot, and a pair of beast-head handles. The neck is cast with animal heads in symmetrical arrangement at the front and back, flanked on either side by bands of kui-dragon scroll. A raised bow-string band encircles the belly. Inscription: Er Bing Wu. The rubbing of the Er Bing Wu inscription included in the Compendium of Bronze Inscriptions Seen, Rubbings, and Copies in China, Japan, Europe, America, and Australasia derives from this very piece. The Bing Zhong ding has long since vanished; only through the survival of the present vessel has the inscription been preserved.

A Rare Archaic Bronze Jue Inscribed with the Character “Jian” Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang Period (见爵)

Late Shang Dynasty, 12th century BC Height: 17.7cm Provenance: Kusaka Shogyado, Tokyo, Japan, December 22, 1958. Collection of Mark S. Pratt, Washington, D.C. The present jue is of elegant, upright form, with a long, upturned spout and a slightly shortened tail. A pair of posts with mushroom-shaped finials rises from the base of the spout. The vessel has a deep, rounded body and three splayed conical legs. A bovine-head handle is set at the side of the body, cast on the interior with the single-character inscription Jian.