CHINE PÉRIODE SHANG (1570 À 1045 AV. J.-C.)

Pair of bronze Gu vases with a beautiful green and blue patina, the foot and the central part decorated with taotie masks underlined by the edges and buttons, the base of the neck decorated with a frieze of spirals, surmounted by stylized cicadas with geometrical motifs. Archaic inscription inside the feet of each. H. 26 cm (Small dents, deformations, holes, wear, oxidation) PROVENANCE Private collection Neuilly-sur-Seine. Inventory of Michel Beurdeley dated 1991. N. B. Archaic bronzes hold a particularly important place in Chinese art. Resulting from the technical innovation of segmented molds, the bronzes were inspired by the forms of Neolithic ceramics. They were used for ceremonial offerings and adorned the tombs of wealthy Chinese. Archaic bronzes can be sorted into three categories according to their function: fermented beverage containers (alcohols), food containers and water containers. The Gu shown here were intended to hold alcohol. They were to accompany the deceased in the afterlife and allow his soul to continue to exist. They are decorated with a taotie mask, a recurrent motif of the Shang dynasty. It is a zoomorphic mask sometimes referred to as a glutton mask. Its function was to keep evil spirits at bay. The decoration is completed by leiwen (spirals), and banana leaves. These motifs will last until the imperial porcelain. The edges are the traces of the junction points of the different parts of the mold. The inscription on the foot could mention the name of the donor or the deceased. From the beginning, bronzes were considered to be precious objects. Many scholars wrote about them, including the "Kaogu Tu", written by Lü Dalin under the Song, which compiles two hundred and ten bronze objects dating from the Shang dynasty to the Han. These were then kept in prestigious imperial and private collections. It was during the Song period that the terminology related to archaic bronzes was established, despite some variations.