A copper-inlaid bronze ritual wine jar, hu, Eastern Zhou dynasty | 東周　青銅嵌紅銅獸紋鋪首活環耳壺

Kochukyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo. 

Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, 2015, cat. no. 2-19.

The Warring States period marked a revolutionary era in Chinese bronze craftsmanship, particularly in the art of metal inlay, where artisans achieved unprecedented technical mastery. Their innovative work combined naturalistic elements with mythical symbolism in designs of remarkable sophistication, reaching what many consider the zenith of ancient metallurgical achievement.

Scholars have illuminated the fascinating evolution of these techniques. Early methods required painstakingly carving grooves into bronze vessels before hammering softer metals into place—a process vulnerable to detachment over time. By the mid-Warring States period, craftsmen had perfected their approach through ingenious refinements: they began securing inlays with minute rivets and polishing surfaces to flawless smoothness, resulting in far more durable and intricate ornamentation. See more discussion by Jenny F. So, in Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington, 1995, vol. 3, p. 257.

The present lot exemplifies one of the rarest manifestations of this artistry—a bronze hu with exquisitely preserved copper inlays that extend even to its ring handles. While similar decorative patterns of interlaced beasts and geometric motifs appear on numerous Warring States vessels, examples retaining complete inlaid handles are exceptionally rare. Compare a highly close example unearthed from the tomb in Jincu, Luoyang in the 1920s, illustrated in Umehara Sueji, Rakuyo kinson kobo shuei [Revised and Enlarged Edition of the Tombs of Jincun, Lo-yang], Kyoto, 1943, pl. 15. Compare also other examples including one in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Chen Peifen, Xia Shang Zhou qingtongqi yanjiu [Study of archaic bronzes from Shang, Shang and Zhou dynasties], Shanghai, vol. 1 of Eastern Zhou, 2004, no. 513; and one in the National Museum of Asian Art Freer Gallery (acc. no. S1987.347), though the latter lacks the precious handle inlays; one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no. 29.100.545) and the other one in the Art Institute of Chicago (acc. no. 1928.143).

Later craftsmen attempted to emulate these Warring States innovations, see a Song dynasty archaistic bronze sold at Christie's New York in 2018, 13th September, lot 1260. Yet none could truly replicate the original's perfect synthesis of technical brilliance and artistic vision. This vessel offers a privileged glimpse into one of ancient China's most extraordinary artistic accomplishments, representing both a technical triumph and a timeless aesthetic achievement.

來源

壺中居，東京

展覽

《瓷華明彩―イセコレクションの名陶》，五島美術館，東京，2015年，編號2-19

侈口，長頸溜肩，鼓腹下收於圈足，兩肩飾獸銜環，環錯雲氣紋，整體紋飾由上而下成環帶分佈，飾有長冠鳥，獨角獸，蛇和鹿紋等，以定勝紋為橫縱界欄，每一欄內飾獸紋一組，獸紋皆為單線抽象描繪，以紅銅鑲嵌，且鉚釘加固磨平。

春秋戰國金工鑲錯工藝長足發展，紋飾之細，鑄造之精，空前絕後。紋樣多取自生活與自然畫面，而又帶濃郁神話色彩。有學者發現，此類錯紅銅工藝在戰國時期更加進步：早期錯金屬需於銅器身上鑿出或者預留鑄造凹槽，再以錘揲工藝將金銀紅銅等較軟金屬固定於槽內，然此種做法金屬容易脫落，至戰國時期，工匠更會在錯紅銅上加上鉚釘磨平，使得鑲嵌更為牢固。相關工藝介紹參見蘇芳淑著，《 Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections》，1995年，卷3，頁257。

本壺紋樣在戰國頗為常見，但鋪首銜環亦有鑲錯之例甚罕。與本件最近一例，可比較1920年代洛陽金村出土一件青銅錯紅銅壺，鋪首亦帶鑲嵌，且有蓋，見梅原末治編，《增訂洛陽金村古墓聚英》，京都，1943年，圖版15。又可參考上海博物館藏一近例，見陳佩芬，《夏商周青銅器研究·東周上》，上海，2004年，編號513。美國賽克勒及弗利爾美術館藏一例器型、紋飾與本件亦似，惟鋪首不見鑲嵌，館藏編號S1987.347，著錄於蘇芳淑前書，卷3，編號44。美國大都會博物館藏另一例亦資參考，館藏編號29.100.545；還可比較芝加哥藝術館藏一例，館藏編號1928.143，鋪首佚失。此類紋飾銅壺後代亦有仿古之作，如紐約佳士得2018年9月13日售出一件宋代銅壺，編號1260。