ARCHAIC BRONZE 'TAOTIE' MASK
LATE SHANG TO WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
£2,520
Fine Asian & Islamic Works of Art
Auction: 4 November 2022 from 10:00 GMT
Description
商末及西周 青銅饕餮面飾件
modelled in the form of a taotie mask detailed with large bulging eyes, prominent nostrils and curled horns
Dimensions
16.2cm wide; 382g
Provenance
Provenance: Private English collection
Footnote
Note: Bronze animal masks, popularly made from the early Shang to the mid-Western Zhou dynasties, have various shapes and functions. At least four known different uses for masks like this have been identified according to recent archaeological studies, including adornments on shields; attachments to the front of a horse’s head; harness plates on chariots; and decorations on ceremonial or ritual tools.[1] Chai illustrates two closely comparable bronze masks, both excavated from Shaanxi province and dated to the late Shang dynasty, identified as adornments on shields.[2]
[1] Private collection, Europehai, X. M. ‘Lun Shang Zhou shi qi de qing tong mian shi (Discussion on bronze masks of the Shang and Zhou dynasties)’, Kaogu, 1992, vol. 12, pp. 111.21
[2] Chai, X. M. op. cit., pls. 4.2, 4.3, p. 1113