96 - A bronze "animal mask" gui The gui was an important bronze ritual vessel used in sacrificial ceremonies and rites in ancient China. This is a powerful example of the form, its imposing profile rising from a broadly flaring mouth to a fully rounded body and continuing down to a stable ring foot, fitted with a pair of large loop handles.

A bronze "animal mask" gui The gui was an important bronze ritual vessel used in sacrificial ceremonies and rites in ancient China. This is a powerful example of the form, its imposing profile rising from a broadly flaring mouth to a fully rounded body and continuing down to a stable ring foot, fitted with a pair of large loop handles. A flange rises at the centre of the body, flanked on either side by large taotie masks, the surrounding ground densely filled with meander (thunder) and scroll patterns. The strongly frontal, bilaterally symmetrical composition, together with the deeply cast, sculptural relief of the decoration, lends the vessel a sense of tension and majesty. A finely worked band of decoration also encircles the ring foot, demonstrating a high degree of ornamentation down to the smallest detail. The taotie mask is one of the representative motifs of Shang and Zhou bronzes; its abstracted rendering of a mysterious beast's visage reflects something of the world of ritual and spiritual belief in ancient China. The blue-green patina formed over the long passage of time is likewise full of character, and combined with the powerful cast decoration, imparts a sense of archaic elegance and gravitas. Combining an intricate decorative scheme, a commanding form, and a richly aged bronze surface, this piece allows one to fully appreciate the solemn beauty of form that characterises ancient Chinese bronzes. The interior is cast with the inscription Bo Ji Fu Zuo Bao Yi (伯幾父作寶彝 — "made by Bo Jifu, a precious ritual vessel"). W: 25cm H: 13.3cm Caliber: 20.8cm Case China Shang era