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1-08 Chinese Art - Volume I
Pictures
1. Bronze ritual vessel (chih) - Early Chou dynasty - 11th-10th century B.C.

Bronze ritual vessel, with bulbous body, highly flared neck and spreading foot, decorated with a narrow band of k'uei dragons round the narrowest part of the neck, with two animal masks in high relief interrupting the band. The rest of the surface has a smooth glossy pale olive-green patina. Dedicatory inscription of eleven characters (height 19,5 cm).

2. Bronze ritual vessel (chih) - Shang or Early Chou dynasty - 11th century B.C.

Bronze ritual vessel (chih) with bulbous body, spreading neck and deep foot, decorated in horizontal bands interrupted by vertical serrated flanges. The main decoration on the body is of confronted birds in relief against a squared spiral (lei-wen) ground. Above this is a band of vertical ribbing. On the neck and foot are narrow bands of confronted birds, and a narrow leaf band forms a border below the lip (height 13,5 cm).

3. Bronze ritual vessel (chih) - Early Chou dynasty - 10th century B.C.

Bronze ritual vessel (chih) and cover, of rounded rectangular section, with two bands of decoration in relief on the body, the main band of bird motives, and the narrow band above of S-curved k'uei dragons, interrupted by a tiger mask in high relief. On the cover the bird motives are repeated. This example is unusual in having a loop handle surmounted by an animal head, on the opposite side from that shown in the stereo-photograph (height 19,6 cm).

4. Bronze ritual vessel (chüeh) - Shang dynasty - 14th century B.C.

Bronze ritual vessel (chüeh) on three slender spreading legs of triangular section, with flat bottom, loop handle on one side, and two posts springing from the base of the spout to meet under a pyramidal cap ornamented with spirals. Two bands of decoration, one round the body and the other round the base of the neck, incorporate t'ao-t'ieh mask motives (height 23,2 cm).

5. Bronze ritual vessel (chüeh) - Shang dynasty - 13th-11th century B.C.

Bronze ritual vessel (chüeh), on three slightly spreading triangular section legs, fitted with a simple strap handle, and an inverted V-shaped bar at the base of the spout surmounted by a truncated conical cap ornamented with curls. Decorated on the body and spout with complex t'ao-t'ieh motives (height 19,1 cm).

6. Bronze ritual vessel (chüeh) - Shang dynasty - 12th-11th century B.C.

Bronze ritual vessel (chüeh), with rounded base and three slender triangular section spreading legs, decorated over most of the body and up the spout, only the lowest part of the body and the legs being left undecorated. The decoration, against a ground of squared spirals (lei-wen) filled with black composition, is of birds and k'uei dragons. The upright columns rising from the rim have spindle-shaped terminals, and the loop-handle on the side is surmounted by an animal head. An inscription is under the handle (height 22,4 cm).

7. Bronze ritual vessel (chüeh) - Shang dynasty - 13th-11th century B.C.

Bronze ritual vessel (chüeh), on three spreading legs of triangular section, fitted with a simple loop side-handle ornamented with a bovine head in low relief, decorated round the body with t'ao-t'ieh mask motives and up the two spouts with inverted t'ao-t'ieh masks (height 21,0 cm).

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