Lot 64
** A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this artwork will be donated to the Anthony Quinn Foundation, whose mission is to advocate for the important role arts education plays in personal development and in the overall improvement of social, economic and cultural systems. Learn more at aqfoundation.org **
East Asia, China, Late Shang Dynasty, ca. 12th to 11th century BCE. A gorgeously preserved ritual wine vessel, known as a "gu," skillfully cast from bronze to display a trumpet-shaped neck and mouth, a midsection with 4 notched flanges, and a flaring foot with 4 long, curved flanges. Etched decoration covers much of the surface - leiwen-filled blades ("leiwen" is a motif of thunder) rise up the neck. Taotie masks decorate the midsection between the flanges, while the foot also has ornate taotie masks. Size: 6.9" Diameter x 12" H (17.5 cm x 30.5 cm)
The taotie is one of the "four fiends" or "four evil creatures" of Chinese mythology and is a particularly fascinating and ancient symbol - seen on Shang Dynasty bronzes. In the Lushi Chunqiu, known in English as Master Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, a Chinese encyclopedia compiled around 239 BCE, the taotie is described thusly: "The taotie on Zhou bronzes has a head but no body. When it eats people, it does not swallow them, but harms them" (16/3a Prophecy). This and other ancient descriptions of the creature suggest that it related to making food offerings/sacrifices for the insatiable spirits of the dead. Some scholars believe that the creature is part of the mysterious communication between people and the gods.
We owe the preservation of these ancient bronzes to their burial, either in storage pits, where they were hastily hidden by fleeing members of a defeated elite house, or, more commonly, in tombs. During the Shang dynasty, members of the royalty were accompanied in the afterlife by their bronzes, ceramics, weapons, amulets, and ornaments, and even the human and animal entourage that surrounded them in life: servants, bodyguards, horses, chariots, and charioteers. Each tomb had a set of specialized bronze vessels, of which the gu was one designed to hold wine.
A similar bronze gu was sold by Sotheby's Hong Kong for 1,890,000 HKD (equivalent to about $242,463.40 USD) as lot 58 in their "Monochrome II" auction on October 9th, 2020. Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 49.135.11.
Provenance: ex-private collection of actor Anthony Quinn and his wife Katherine, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA acquired prior to 2000
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#169173
- Condition: Area of loss on base. Expected nicks, chips, abrasions, and softening of detail. Otherwise, very nice with great encrustations and lovely patina.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |