商

1919年湖南省桃源县出土

器盖高28.9cm

器身高63.6cm

湖南省博物馆馆藏

器盖铸有“皿而全作父己尊彝”八字铭文，呈庑殿顶形；器身则铸有“皿作父己尊彝”六字铭文。皿身全器以云雷纹为地，上饰兽面纹、夔龙纹、凤鸟纹。肩部两侧装饰双耳衔环，正面腹部下方置一兽首。四面边角及各面中心共装饰八条突起的长条钩戟形扉棱。整器集立雕、浮雕、线雕于一身，其造型、装饰风格来源于商代宫殿和宗庙建筑。

其器型硕大，雄浑庄重，雕刻精美是中国晚商青铜器鼎盛时期的代表之作，充分反映了我国青铜器铸造鼎盛时期的高超技艺和摄人心魄的气势，被誉为“外形与内涵”兼具的“神品”，是中华灿烂文明和湖湘文化源远流长的绝佳见证。

Min fanglei

Hunan Museum
Min Fanglei (bronze square wine vessel), made in Late Shang to Early Zhou Period (ca. 11th century B.C.), found in 1919, collection of Hunan Museum.

The Min fanglei is dated to the late Shang dynasty or early Western Zhou dynasty (12th － 11th century BC). It is a fanglei, or square or rectangular lei, a type of ancient Chinese ritual bronze vessel. The Min fanglei is 88 cm (35 in) tall, and its mouth measures 26.1 cm x 21.6 cm (10.3 in x 8.5 in). Without the lid, it is 64 cm (25 inches) tall and weighs 42 kg (92.5 pounds). It is finely decorated on each of its four sides, with pairs of dragons cast on its shoulders and a horned dragon mask on its handle. Because of its size and workmanship, it is called the "King of Fanglei".

The fanglei is named for the bronze inscription inside its body, which reads "Min zuo Fu Ji zun yi" (Chinese: 皿作父己尊彝), or "Min made [this] esteemed vessel for Father Ji". On the inside of its lid, the inscription has two extra characters: "Min Er [or Tian] Quan zuo Fu Ji zun yi" (皿而[or 天]全作父己尊彝), or "Min Er [or Tian] Quan made [this] esteemed vessel for Father Ji".

The Min fanglei, accidentally discovered in 1919 in Hunan, its body and lid became separated. The body was sold to collectors overseas, and set a world-record auction price for an Asian art work in 2001 when it was sold for US$9.24 million. In 2014, a group of Chinese collectors bought it for a price between US$20 and 30 million, and donated it to the Hunan Museum, where it was reunited with its lid.

　
 

 

The jar 84.8 cm high, 63.6 cm in height. A jar lid jar as a hip roof shape, rectangular, straight neck, high handle. Motifs for the whole unit to, decorated animal mask, Kui dragon, phoenix. The ears decorated on both sides with a ring is arranged at the lower part of the abdomen of a beast in the first handle. Four corners of each side of the center are decorated protruding hook halberd shaped strip Fei edge. Cover with father Vincent Chad dish Zun Yi seven word inscription, the body was the father of Chad dish Zun Yi five word inscription.
該器通高84.8釐米，器身高63.6釐米，罍蓋呈廡殿頂形，形狀與蓋式相同。罍身作長方口，直頸，高圈足。全器以雲雷紋為地，上飾獸面紋、夔龍紋、鳳鳥紋。肩部兩側裝飾雙耳銜環，正面腹部下方置一獸首鋬。四面邊角及各面中心均裝飾突起的長條鉤戟形扉棱。器蓋刻有「皿天（而）全作父己尊彝」八字銘文；器身則為「皿作父己尊彝」六字銘文。

　

根據分析，銘文的「皿」是器主族氏名，「而全」才是器主名字，「己」，是器主「而全」先父受祭拜的廟號之名。皿是商周時期的一個很有影響的大族，1977年陝西隴縣韋家莊發現了一件皿氏族人的青銅簋，年代與皿方罍相同。這件簋出土於一座西周貴族的墓中，其主人與皿方罍的主人，顯然是同族人，「而全」與他的父親當是商周之際，身負某種使命來到湖南的周人。

皿方罍從功能方面看，是一件祭祀時裝酒的器物，但其造型卻本自商代帝王的宗廟。其紋飾結構對商周宗教活動中常見的犧牲、神格化紋飾等有比較完整的表達。

　

流散、收藏與拍賣史

罍蓋與罍身出土後不久分離，罍蓋輾轉被收藏在湖南省博物館，而罍身就長期流失海外。

器身後來在2001年亮相紐約佳士得春拍，上海博物館和保利藝術博物館曾試圖收購，惟被一位法國猶太裔藏家以924.6萬美元購藏，創造並保持了中國高古青銅器國際拍賣市場最高成交紀錄。

直到2014年，由於藏家去世，其家人再委託佳士得拍賣，拍賣行計畫在3月20日拍賣罍身，經博物館和來自湖南的收藏家群體合作，向佳士得正式提出聯合洽購。买方低于预计拍卖成交价一半左右的价格，与卖方及佳士得公司达成了购买协议。购买方在协议中承诺，皿方罍将由湖南省博物馆永久收藏，永远不再出现在拍卖会上。罍身在6月21日回到中國，6月28日蓋身合體。

　

Reference/Sources:

[add321.com]

[Google images]

[wikipedia.org]