10th Apr, 2025 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
64
A RARE BRONZE RITUAL TRIPOD FOOD VESSEL, DING, LATE XIA-EARLY SHANG DYNASTY
Sold for €11,700
including Buyer's Premium
Expert’s note:
The present ding is rare and unusual for its thread relief decoration on an incised ground, which along with the distinctive mold seams visible on the sides, base, and legs prove that this bronze is significantly earlier than the more commonly encountered and better-known bronzes typically attributed to the late Shang and Western Zhou dynasties.
China, circa 1600-1500 BC. The globular body supported on three long legs, finely decorated in thread relief with wide and powerful taotie masks below a narrow band of confronted stylized dragons, the upright handles with scroll designs, all against a neatly incised leiwen ground.
Provenance: Collection Armand Trampitsch, Paris, France. Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, 11 October 1985, lot 59 (dated Ming dynasty or earlier), sold for FRF 19,916 or approx. EUR 9,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A private collection in Paris, France, acquired from the above and thence by descent. A copy of an invoice from Ader Picard Tajan, confirming the purchase price stated above, accompanies the lot. Remarkably, the hammer price far exceeded the estimate of FRF 5,000, indicating that bidders recognized the bronze’s correct dating. Armand Trampitsch (1890-1970) was the son of Carinthian Slovene brewer and industrialist Anton Trampitsch (1860-1940), co-founder of France’s second-largest brewery, Brasserie Champigneulles in Nancy. He joined his father’s company in 1911 but later sold his share and moved to Paris, where he built a noted collection of archeological finds and works of art. Portions of his large collection were sold at Drouot in Paris in during the 1970s-1990s, including in single-owner sales like the present lot.
Condition: Condition commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, areas of corrosion, small losses, old repairs and fills, casting irregularities. One handle has been re-attached with brackets and is somewhat loose. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with vibrant malachite encrustations.
Weight: 6.4 kg
Dimensions: Height 33 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related late Shang bronze ding with similar thread relief and incision work, dated 15th-14th century BC, in the Tokyo National Museum, collection reference number TJ-5514.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1455
Price: USD 50,000 or approx. EUR 65,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze ritual tripod food vessel, ding, late Xia period, circa 1600 BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and manner of casting with similar thread relief and mold seams. Note the size (22 cm).
Expert’s note:
The present ding is rare and unusual for its thread relief decoration on an incised ground, which along with the distinctive mold seams visible on the sides, base, and legs prove that this bronze is significantly earlier than the more commonly encountered and better-known bronzes typically attributed to the late Shang and Western Zhou dynasties.
China, circa 1600-1500 BC. The globular body supported on three long legs, finely decorated in thread relief with wide and powerful taotie masks below a narrow band of confronted stylized dragons, the upright handles with scroll designs, all against a neatly incised leiwen ground.
Provenance: Collection Armand Trampitsch, Paris, France. Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, 11 October 1985, lot 59 (dated Ming dynasty or earlier), sold for FRF 19,916 or approx. EUR 9,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A private collection in Paris, France, acquired from the above and thence by descent. A copy of an invoice from Ader Picard Tajan, confirming the purchase price stated above, accompanies the lot. Remarkably, the hammer price far exceeded the estimate of FRF 5,000, indicating that bidders recognized the bronze’s correct dating. Armand Trampitsch (1890-1970) was the son of Carinthian Slovene brewer and industrialist Anton Trampitsch (1860-1940), co-founder of France’s second-largest brewery, Brasserie Champigneulles in Nancy. He joined his father’s company in 1911 but later sold his share and moved to Paris, where he built a noted collection of archeological finds and works of art. Portions of his large collection were sold at Drouot in Paris in during the 1970s-1990s, including in single-owner sales like the present lot.
Condition: Condition commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, areas of corrosion, small losses, old repairs and fills, casting irregularities. One handle has been re-attached with brackets and is somewhat loose. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with vibrant malachite encrustations.
Weight: 6.4 kg
Dimensions: Height 33 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related late Shang bronze ding with similar thread relief and incision work, dated 15th-14th century BC, in the Tokyo National Museum, collection reference number TJ-5514.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1455
Price: USD 50,000 or approx. EUR 65,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze ritual tripod food vessel, ding, late Xia period, circa 1600 BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and manner of casting with similar thread relief and mold seams. Note the size (22 cm).
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