A FINELY INCISED BRONZE ‘BIRD’ FERRULE, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
China, 770-221 BC. Well cast in the form of a bird with well detailed features such as round eyes, a curved beak, and scrolling wings, with neatly incised plumage and claws. The bronze finial has two apertures for mounting near the open shaft, the tip of the fitting is carved with scroll designs and links to the tail of the bird, which grips in its claws a raised band of scroll encircling the shaft. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with malachite and cuprite encrustations.


Provenance:
A private collection in Taipei, acquired in Japan during the 1980s. The MQ Collection, acquired from the above in 1987. The storage box with a label inscribed in Japanese, ‘Shunju, Ho-gata ishizuki’ (‘Spring and Autumn Period, Zun in the shape of a Ho-o bird’). In this case, the term ‘zun’ (pronounced ‘ichizuki’ in Japanese) refers to a ferrule fitted at the end of ge halberds and dagger-axes.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, casting flaws, encrustations, signs of weathering and erosion, nicks, scratches, dents, losses.

Weight: 72 g
Dimensions: Length 8.2 cm

With a Japanese silk storage box. (2)


The present piece, similar to other ferrules of the period
, was made to cap the foot of ceremonial poles or weapons, such as spears; it not only protects the shaft but also highlights the superiority of its owner. These ferrules appear to have been conceived individually, showcasing the borderless creativity of the Zhou dynasty artisans.


Birds were a common decorative motif in the Western Zhou period
, when a profusion of highly abstracted animal forms emerged in the decorative arts, most notably in the ornament of ritual bronze vessels. Avian motifs took on greater realism in the Eastern Zhou and the present lot is a good example of this aesthetic evolution. While quite stylized, the incision work attractively suggests the animal's feather patterns and the contours of its musculature.


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related bronze bird-form ferrule, 10.9 cm long, dated to the Eastern Zhou dynasty, 4th century, included in the exhibition Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1990, cat. no. 86.




東周青銅鳥形鐏

中國，公元前770-221 年。鳥形鐏，圓眼、彎喙、羽毛、小爪等細節生動。青銅尖頂有兩個孔，用於安裝在開口附近，配件的尖端刻有渦卷圖案，並連接到鳥的尾巴。青銅包漿細膩，有紅綠銅結殼。


來源：
台北私人收藏，20世紀80年代購於日本；MQ收藏，1987年從上述收藏購得。儲物盒上刻有日文標籤“春秋 鳳形鐏”。這裏的“鐏” 是指安裝在戟和匕首末端的套圈。

品相：
品相良好，大面積磨損、鑄造缺陷、結殼、風化和侵蝕跡象、刻痕、劃痕、凹痕、缺損。

重量：72 克
尺寸：長8.2 厘米

配有日本絲綢收納盒。(2)


文獻比較：

比較一件非常相近的東周鳥形鐏，長10.9 厘米，展覽於《Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes》，香港藝術博物館，1990年，圖錄編號86。