


「盧博謝茲觥」是一件出自中國商代晚期(約公元前13至12世紀)極為珍稀且精美的青銅盛酒禮器。它以虎、鷹(鴞)結合的獨特造型聞名,被視為商代早期實驗性工藝的代表作之一,不同於後世常見以饕餮面紋為主的觥。
此器同時擁有顯赫的傳承背景:由美國海軍軍官兼律師史考特·N·費里斯·盧博謝茲(S. N. Ferris Luboshez)於1940年代在中國獲取,後於近期國際拍賣場上拍出高價獲得高度關注。它精緻的動物造型、富於變化的裝飾,以及記載重要資訊的銘文,均體現了商代青銅藝術的創新精神與豐富內涵。
觥蓋有傷,但瑕不掩瑜,仍然有藏家以超過6000萬人民幣的高價購藏。觥是青銅器收藏家一生的追求,頂級的大體量的觥的流通十分罕見,這件觥是教科書式的認知教育和普及。根據Lally的說法,這件觥和千石唯司的觥是一對。

The “Luboshez Gong” is an exceedingly rare and exquisitely crafted bronze ritual wine vessel dating to the Late Shang dynasty of China (approximately 13th–12th century BC). Distinguished by its striking “tiger-owl” metamorphic design, this early experimental form sets it apart from the later Shang vessels commonly adorned with taotie masks.
Boasting a remarkable provenance—having been acquired in China in the 1940s by the American naval officer and lawyer Captain S. N. Ferris Luboshez—it has since garnered significant attention on the international auction stage. Its finely cast animal motifs, dynamic decoration, and inscribed markings offer invaluable insight into the innovative artistry and cultural richness of Shang bronze craftsmanship.


成交價:美元 8,604,000
估價:美元 4,000,000 – 美元 6,000,000
拍品終止拍賣: 2021年3月18日
觥呈獸形,前作虎形,後採鴞形,兩首各居蓋端,兩身同棲觥身。 虎端張牙咧嘴,前方牙排呈方塊狀,兩側犬齒如彎勾,雙目圓鼓突出,兩耳立於頂部,呈倒掛「C」形。
鴞眼為圓錐形,周邊環繞兩圈鱗狀紋,喙短而尖,頦飾雙鳳紋,上方浮雕夔紋,夔首見於鴞耳背。虎身綴滿雷紋,作卧勢,躍躍欲跳。前腿短小,藏於流頸兩側,上方飾龍紋。後腿屈曲,腳端見爪,虎尾修長,捲曲上揚,止於另一邊的鴞爪。鴞身飾鱗紋,兩側浮雕翅膀,內填雷紋。 鎜同飾雷紋,上添一瑞獸首,頂若山羊角,嘴往內勾,鎜底部另設一勾往外伸。
觥通體綴雷紋地,浮現淺淡銅綠,包漿古穆。觥內底正中鑄有狀若四足印環繞一「冊」字,為古體「衛」字。



青銅虎鳥獸紋觥
LUBOSHEZ舊藏
晚商 安陽時期
11 ¾ in. (29.8 cm.) long
來源
海軍上校S. N. Ferris Luboshez(1896-1984) 珍藏,於1949年以前購自中國。
Important Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Works of Art: The Collection of Captain S.N. Ferris Luboshez, USN (Ret'd)專拍; 蘇富比Parke Bernet, 紐約, 1982年11月18日, 拍品12號。
私人珍藏, 瑞士, 1982-1996年。
藍理捷, 紐約, 1996年。
Daniel Shapiro 珍藏, 紐約。
出版
H. McNamee, Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, College Park, 1972年, 頁 37-38, 編號10號, 圖版16號。
Arts of Asia, Jane Tilley Griffin, 'The Luboshez Collection', 1972年7-8月, 頁 25。
C. Deydier, Archaic Chinese Bronzes, I, Xia & Shang, 巴黎, 1995, 頁 221, 編號3號。
藍理捷, Early Dynastic China, 紐約, 1996年, 編號 44號。
D. Shapiro, Ancient Chinese Bronzes: A Personal Appreciation, 倫敦, 2013年, 頁 68-75 及 133。
藍理捷, Chinese Archaic Bronzes: The Collection of Daniel Shapiro, 紐約, 2014年, 編號 7號。
展覽
College Park, 馬里蘭, 馬里蘭大學美術館, Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, 1972年3月23日-4月30日, 編號 10號。
紐約, 藍理捷, Early Dynastic China, 1996年3月26日-4月26日, 編號 44號。
紐約, 藍理捷, Chinese Archaic Bronzes: The Collection of Daniel Shapiro, 2014年3月14日-4月5日, 編號 7號。


盧博謝茲船長(S.N. Ferris Luboshez, 1896–1984)
收藏簡介
盧博謝茲船長的知名收藏自1982年於紐約公開出售以來,近三十年來一直深受中國藝術品收藏界的矚目。盧博謝茲生於英國,由美國父母撫養長大;其父親是一位科學家,自幼便向孩子們傳授藝術鑑賞的基礎知識,認為無論將來從事何種職業,藝術的學習皆大有裨益。雖然盧博謝茲與其兄弟均受過科學方面的訓練,盧博謝茲本人後來也成為法庭律師與律師,但兄弟二人對亞洲藝術都產生了濃厚興趣。
第二次世界大戰初期,盧博謝茲加入美國海軍,後來在中央情報部門任職。戰爭結束後,他的工作重心轉向中國與日本,並被任命為美國國務院外國財產清理委員會(Foreign Liquidation Commission)辦公室的總法律顧問;該機構最終在上海設立總部。正是在此期間(1945年至1949年),盧博謝茲建立了他收藏的主要核心。他在上海及往返北京的過程中,結識了一批熱情接納他的中國收藏家與學者,向他們學習並購得許多藝術品。在當時外國人並不常被接納於這樣的私人圈子,也極少有機會購買珍貴文物的背景下,盧博謝茲卻因其嚴謹與獨到的鑑賞能力而為人所認可。他的收藏橫跨多種材質、造型與朝代:從古代玉器、青銅器,到唐代陶俑,再到明清瓷器,充分展現了他在多元領域中的敏銳目光。
1949年,盧博謝茲與夫人返回美國,在華盛頓特區郊外定居,並將其收藏一同帶回。他在馬里蘭州設計建造的居所中特別安裝了展示櫃,用以陳列藏品,因他堅信藝術品應融入生活、被欣賞,而非深藏庫房。當盧博謝茲在1982年出售這批藏品時,他已與之相伴超過30年,並在接受《華盛頓郵報》採訪時表示:「我已不再需要那些實物,它們早已深深印在我腦海裡。」

盧博謝茲青銅禮器觥
文:羅伯特·D·毛瑞(Robert D. Mowry)
丹尼爾·夏皮羅(Daniel Shapiro)收藏中的盧博謝茲觥,是一件帶蓋的商代青銅盛酒器,堪稱中國上古時期最為罕見的青銅禮器之一;同時,它或許也是商代所有青銅器形制中最令人驚歎、造型最具魅力者。關於觥(讀作“gong”)在古代祭祀禮儀中的具體功能,尚無定論,但一般認為它主要用於盛酒及酌酒。觥首度出現於商代晚期(約公元前1600年至公元前1050年),在公元前13世紀至公元前11世紀之間的短暫時期內數量有限、較為珍稀。
盧博謝茲觥的造型可視為兩隻背對背之動物的結合,並以側面輪廓呈現:正面為匍匐的猛虎,背面則為直立的貓頭鷹。此類觥常被歸為“變形造型”(metamorphic forms),因它們將兩種截然不同的動物合而為一。器物前部的虎身沿斜線向上延伸,虎後足穩穩踏在圈足底部,屈膝高聳並凸入器物飽滿的前部,前爪向前探出,似乎即將伸到器嘴的邊緣卻又戛然而止。虎身修長的線條一路延續至器蓋,器嘴及其相連的蓋面共同構成虎頸,最終收於虎首的威猛形象。
貓頭鷹位於器物後部,雙足穩穩踩在圈足上,渾圓飽滿的後半部成功塑造出貓頭鷹寬闊的胸腹。每隻翅膀自一個迴旋紋起始,迴旋紋象徵肩關節,連續的表面紋飾暗示羽毛。這些迴旋紋繼而向外展開,最終收束為細長的三角形,該處同樣飾有類似紋樣,表現出緊貼身軀的翅膀。每隻翅膀後側水平伸出的細小裝飾——由三個「L」形橫向排列組成——則象徵貓頭鷹短小的尾部。虎尾則與貓頭鷹翅膀之下曲繞呼應,而貓頭鷹的尾部也幾乎貼近虎背,將器物前後兩部分在視覺上緊密相連。


目前已知與盧博謝茲觥幾乎相似(但並非完全相同)的同類觥共計五件:其一現藏於美國哈佛藝術博物館的格倫維爾·L·溫思洛普(Grenville L. Winthrop, 1864–1943)收藏(編號1942.52.103)(圖1)[1];
另有兩件在日本:一件屬於千石唯司的私人收藏(圖2)[2];



泉屋博古館
另一件收藏於京都泉屋博古館(住友收藏)(圖3)[3];
在中國境內,則有兩件出自河南安陽婦好墓,於1976年發掘(圖4)[4]。婦好是商王武丁(約公元前1250年至公元前1192年在位)的重要配偶,權勢顯赫,不僅為其誕育王子,還曾以軍事將領的身份率軍出征。婦好墓中出土的此類觥與其他逾2000件豪華陪葬品(其中包括約468件青銅器)同葬,足見這種酒器地位的非凡。加之其中一對兒觥上有婦好之名[5],據推測它們約在婦好去世後不久、約公元前1200年前後特意為隨葬而鑄造。從造型與紋飾方面的高度近似可知,以上六件器物均可能於同一地區(推測為河南安陽)及同一時期(公元前13世紀晚期至公元前12世紀早期),並於同一作坊鑄造,但彼此之間仍存在些許差異。
與許多重要商代青銅禮器一樣,盧博謝茲觥的器底部(而非蓋上)帶有一則短小銘文。此銘文描繪四隻足跡環繞著一處包圍「冊(ce)」的神聖空間(「冊」或意指某種簿冊或書籍),被視為現代「韋」字的祖形(至於該「冊」的實際材質與內容則無從考證)。目前尚無法將此銘文與特定人物對應;
不過,現藏於巴黎賽努奇博物館(Musée Cernuschi)的一件商代青銅酒器[6]同樣銘有此記號,顯示盧博謝茲觥與該賽努奇博物館所藏器物或曾為同一套禮器中的成員,如今已散落各地。

雖然外觀上各自不同,但紐約大都會藝術博物館(藏品編號43.25.4)及華盛頓特區弗利爾美術館(藏品編號F1938.5a-b)所藏的觥,與盧博謝茲這批器物在風格與主題(motif)上依舊關係密切,表明商代鑄造者曾嘗試多種方式,將虎與貓頭鷹結合於同一器形。大都會藝術博物館那件已失蓋,其正面為直立的貓頭鷹,後部為匍匐的老虎,提梁從虎張開的口部頂端伸出;弗利爾美術館所藏的觥[7],則是在蓋上鑄出虎首與貓頭鷹面[8],二者與器身其他紋飾並無呼應。該器非是前後各塑一種動物,而是以單一水鳥的形象示人:鳥首位於器背,細長的頸部成為提梁;鳥翼自象徵肩關節的迴旋紋向後展開,豐富了器物兩側的視覺效果,鳥尾羽毛則向上捲起,點綴器嘴下方。由於虎首與鷹面並未對應完整的身軀,此器物整體裝飾的整合度不及盧博謝茲系列。
盧博謝茲觥正面的猛虎頭,與商代王室墓葬出土的大理石雕像中虎首部位頗為相似。例如,1928年於安陽西北岡M1001號墓出土的一件「跪姿人身虎首」大理石雕[9],現藏於中央研究院歷史語言研究所傅斯年博物館(台北),其形制幾乎與盧博謝茲觥的虎首如出一轍。該大理石與青銅作品皆呈方形頭部、平直口鼻、厚實嘴脣、外露利齒與尖牙、凸起的眼球,以及高浮雕但平面的角質,兩者之間的相似度高到彷彿一方可作為另一方的模本;更可能的情況則是,兩者皆承襲自已佚失的原始模型或原型。同樣,盧博謝茲觥上的虎首,也可與同時期的小型玉雕相對照,如1997年於山西發掘、現藏於太原山西博物院的一件黃玉「跪姿人身虎首」雕[10]。


關於觥的確切起源仍未明朗,目前尚未在新石器時代陶器或商代早期青銅器中發現可視為前身的器物。有人主張,盧博謝茲系列所代表的「典型觥」,可能源自罕見的船形有蓋青銅器(也被稱作「觥」),例如太原山西博物院收藏的一件著名長形鱷魚(或揚子鱷)狀青銅器[11]。該器雖在紋飾風格上與盧博謝茲系列接近,但其形制與後者相去甚遠,要說它就是此類「典型觥」的祖型並不恰當;也許那件船形器只是對「觥」的另一種詮釋,或者是與觥功能相近但造型迥異的另一類青銅器。
帶有饕餮紋飾的觥大約與盧博謝茲系列同時在安陽出現。大約公元前13世紀末或公元前12世紀初,明尼阿波利斯藝術學院阿爾弗雷德·費斯克·皮爾斯伯里(Alfred Fisk Pillsbury, 1869–1950)收藏中的一件觥(藏品編號50.46.104a,b)[12],即是最早飾以饕餮面紋的這類器物之一。隨著時間推移,饕餮紋的觥取代了以虎與貓頭鷹裝飾為主的造型,成為主流。由此可見,盧博謝茲這組以虎與鷹為主要母題、裝飾極具動感的觥,其實相當稀有,且很可能代表觥的早期探索或實驗階段。
在公元前12至11世紀安陽晚期鑄造的商代觥,幾乎全部皆飾饕餮紋,浮雕於雷紋地上。布魯克林博物館格努爾(Guennol)系列阿拉斯泰爾·布拉德利·馬丁(Alastair Bradley Martin, 1915–2010)收藏中的一件[13](館藏編號72.163a-b)證實,此類器的蓋面雖往往鑄出貓頭鷹或猛獸頭,但這些頭部與器身的饕餮或其他裝飾並無互動或呼應關係。有些觥則嘗試融合兩種不同的裝飾風格[14]。例如,美國佛羅里達州西棕櫚灘諾頓藝術博物館(Norton Museum of Art)收藏的一件觥(館藏編號52.7a-b)[15],其表面採用分格處理,但並未出現常見的饕餮紋;器身前部區域中一條細長的(疑似虎)身軀自圈足生出,連接至蓋前部的猛獸頭,而後部區域則以龍紋作為裝飾。

周人在公元前11世紀中葉滅商後不久,觥的使用迅速式微,逐漸退出禮器體系。傳統觀點認為,周人相信商朝之所以滅亡,是由於過度飲酒導致的頹廢,以及未能嚴守祭祀禮法;在此論述下,周人宣稱上天移轉「天命」於周,並要求更加節制的祭祀儀式以維繫周朝的合法性。於是祭祀中對酒的使用量減少,而轉向更注重肉食和穀物的祭品;由此,觥與其他盛酒器逐漸式微,被新興的盛食禮器所取代。
羅伯特·D·毛瑞(Robert D. Mowry)哈佛藝術博物館中國藝術部榮譽策展人(Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art Emeritus)佳士得資深顧問(Senior Consultant, Christie’s)

盧博謝茲觥 問答
1. 何謂「觥」?它在中國古代的用途為何?「觥」( gong)是一種有蓋的盛酒器,主要盛行於商代晚期(約公元前1600–前1050年)。雖然對其在古代祭祀中的具體功能仍存有討論,但一般認為,它主要用於盛裝與斟倒酒類,特別是在宗教或祭禮活動中使用。
2. 為何「盧博謝茲觥」如此出眾且稀有?「盧博謝茲觥」之所以引人注目,主要在於其造型獨特且動感十足:器身融合了前端蹲伏的老虎與後端伫立的貓頭鷹,形成一種「變形結合(metamorphic form)」的視覺效果。這種設計屬於早期的實驗性風格,在後世常見以饕餮面(taotie)為主題的觥出現前就已存在,因此非常珍稀。此器在細節刻畫、保存狀況以及顯赫傳承方面皆極為突出。再者,形制與之相類似的器物數量極少,愈加凸顯其稀有與珍貴。
3. 能否描述「盧博謝茲觥」的圖像與裝飾元素?「盧博謝茲觥」的器身以高浮雕般的鑄造工藝進行精細雕琢。前端是一隻蹲伏的老虎,牠展露方形的利齒與彎曲的犬齒,雙目圓突,雙耳豎立;虎身刻有捲雲狀的紋飾,短小的前肢似欲撲出。器物後端則為一隻貓頭鷹,與虎一樣擁有突出的圓眼以及短而彎鉤的鳥喙,雙翼上也有精細紋飾。虎尾弧形伸展至貓頭鷹翅膀下方,貓頭鷹的尾羽則幾乎抵至虎背,形成一個連貫的視覺動勢。此外,器蓋頂部有一環狀把手,其上端飾有一隻神獸首:帶有公羊角、翅膀以及鉤喙。整體紋飾以「雷紋(leiwen)」為底色,烘托出各動物形象的立體感。

4. 「盧博謝茲觥」上的銘文意義為何?它對此器有何啟示?在「盧博謝茲觥」的器壁內部底部,可見一組銘文,由四個腳印圍繞著一個方形「聖所」,當中有一個符號被解釋為「冊(ce,指書冊)」,這個符號被視為「微(wei)」字的早期形態。儘管目前尚無法直接將此銘文與某一具名的古人對應,但在巴黎賽努希博物館(Musée Cernuschi)收藏的一件相似銘文的觥也出現此記號,暗示它們可能同屬一組當年祭祀用的禮器,如今已散佚各地。
5. 「盧博謝茲觥」與其他已知的商代觥有何關聯?目前已知有五件與「盧博謝茲觥」形制極為相似的器物(其中兩件出土於婦好墓),但仔細觀察可以發現每件仍存在微妙差異,顯示它們或出自同一作坊,卻各有細微的獨特之處。這些以虎、鷹(或鳥)形結合為主要裝飾主題的觥屬於較早期的「實驗階段」,在後世常見的饕餮面紋飾成為主流前就已成熟。從這個角度看,「盧博謝茲觥」見證了商代藝術設計風格的演進,尤其是從早期虎-鳥造型過渡到以饕餮為主題的轉變。
6. 誰是史考特·N·費里斯·盧博謝茲(S. N. Ferris Luboshez)船長?他又是如何入手此觥的?史考特·N·費里斯·盧博謝茲(1896–1984)為一位美國海軍軍官與律師,對亞洲藝術情有獨鍾。1945年至1949年間,他在中國擔任美國對外清理委員會(Foreign Liquidation Commission)駐上海辦公室的法律顧問,期間得以蒐購並收藏此觥。盧博謝茲本人被認為是相當具鑒賞力的收藏家,與許多中國藏家與學者保持交流,在此過程中建立了深厚的學術與人脈基礎。他的藝術品收藏相當多元,且主張藝術應該被放在開放空間中讓人欣賞,而非深藏不露。
7. 「盧博謝茲觥」與商代其他雕塑或藝術形式有何關係?「盧博謝茲觥」上的虎首特徵,與安陽出土的商代大理石雕「虎首人形跪像」有高度相似之處,如方正的頭部、平坦的口鼻以及凸出的圓眼等,都具有共同風格特徵,暗示這些作品可能源於同一套原型或是受到同一審美潮流的影響。此種跨材質、跨媒介的相似性顯示了商代藝術在造型語彙上的一致性與傳承。
8. 為何商代後期的觥逐漸不再使用?這說明了從商至周的轉變?在西周初年(約公元前11世紀中期)推翻商朝後,周人崇尚更為節制的飲酒之風。他們認為商朝的奢靡與飲酒過度是導致其滅亡的因素之一,因而在祭祀中減少用酒,轉而強調以肉類和穀物為主要祭品。這種文化與禮制的轉變,導致大量盛酒器逐漸退出歷史舞台,包括「觥」在內的酒器使用日漸式微,取而代之的是用於盛放食物的新型禮器,象徵著周人有意在禮樂制度上與商代作出區別。

總結
綜觀「盧博謝茲觥」的歷史、紋飾與銘文,不難看出商代工匠對形制與美學的創新嘗試,以及其在祭祀與禮制文化中扮演的重要角色。此器既是青銅鑄造技術的代表作,同時也因其稀有性和典藏脈絡而備受追捧。無論是在學術研究還是藝術收藏領域,盧博謝茲觥都以其獨特而深遠的價值,凸顯了古代中國青銅文明在設計與工藝上的輝煌成就。
The Luboshez Gong
An Exceptional And Highly Important Bronze Ritual Wine Vessel And Cover, Gong
Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang, 13Th-12Th Century Bc
Price realised
USD 8,604,000
Estimate
USD 4,000,000 – USD 6,000,000
Closed: 18 Mar 2021
AN EXCEPTIONAL AND HIGHLY IMPORTANT BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL AND COVER, GONG
LATE SHANG DYNASTY, ANYANG, 13TH-12TH CENTURY BC
The deep vessel and conformingly shaped cover are finely cast as a fierce tiger at the front and an owl at the back, their heads at either end of the cover above their bodies that decorate the sides of the vessel. The head of the tiger has bared, square teeth and curved incisors, bulging eyes and upright, C-shaped ears. The owl's head has similar eyes encircled by feathers and a short, hooked beak positioned above two confronted birds below. The two heads are joined by a thin, notched flange that forms the elongated body of a kui dragon that also separates two relief-cast kui dragons that confront each other behind the owl's ears. The scroll-filled body of the tiger is cast in rounded relief and shown crouching as if ready to spring, its short forelegs raised on either side of the spout below small, intaglio dragons and its rear legs bent above the tall, oblong foot where the clawed feet and long, curled tail are detailed in front of the taloned feet of the owl. The owl's feet are positioned below its scroll-filled and relief-cast wings that sweep back from scale-like feathers on the chest from which projects a loop handle cast with D-shaped scales and capped by the head of a mythical beast with ram's horns and hooked beak above wings on the sides and a hooked terminal below. All of the decoration is reserved on various leiwen grounds, and the vessel and cover have a mottled green patina with some areas of light encrustation. An inscription, wei, consisting of four footprints around a sanctuary enclosing a ce (album or book), is cast in the center of the interior of the vessel.
11 ¾ in. (29.8 cm.) long

PROVENANCE
The collection of Captain S. N. Ferris Luboshez, USN (Ret'd) (1896-1984), acquired in China prior to 1949.
Important Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Works of Art: The Collection of Captain S. N. Ferris Luboshez, USN (Ret'd); Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 18 November 1982, lot 12.
Private collection, Switzerland, 1982-1996.
J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 1996.
The collection of Daniel Shapiro, New York.
LITERATURE
H. McNamee, Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, College Park, 1972, pp. 37-38, no. 10, fig. 16.
Arts of Asia, Jane Tilley Griffin, "The Luboshez Collection", July-August 1972, p. 25.
C. Deydier, Archaic Chinese Bronzes, I, Xia & Shang, Paris, 1995, p. 221, no. 3.
J. J. Lally & Co., Early Dynastic China, New York 1996, no. 44 and cover.
D. Shapiro, Ancient Chinese Bronzes: A Personal Appreciation, London, 2013, pp. 68-75 and 133.
J. J. Lally & Co., Chinese Archaic Bronzes: The Collection of Daniel Shapiro, New York, 2014, no. 7.
EXHIBITED
College Park, Maryland, The University of Maryland Art Gallery, Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, 23 March - 30 April 1972, no. 10.
New York, J. J. Lally & Co., Early Dynastic China, 26 March - 26 April 1996, no. 44
New York, J. J. Lally & Co., Chinese Archaic Bronzes: The Collection of Daniel Shapiro, 14 March - 5 April 2014, no. 7.

Lot Essay
The Luboshez Gong
The celebrated collection of Captain S.N. Ferris Luboshez (1896-1984) has captivated collectors of Chinese art for nearly three decades, since it was offered for sale in New York in 1982. Captain Luboshez, raised in England by American parents, was taught the fundamentals of art appreciation by his father, a scientist, who thought the study of art was valuable regardless of his sons’ eventual occupations. While both Luboshez and his brother trained as scientists, and Captain Luboshez later as a barrister and lawyer, both became interested in Asian art.
At the outset of World War II, Luboshez entered the US Navy, eventually receiving a post in central intelligence. At the end of the war he was focused on China and Japan, receiving the position of general counsel to the office of the Foreign Liquidation Commission of the US Department of State, eventually headquartered in Shanghai. It was during this time, from 1945-1949, that Luboshez formed the substantial core of his collection. In Shanghai, and in travels to Beijing, he found a welcoming group of Chinese collectors and scholars, from whom he learned and eventually purchased works of art. He was recognized as a serious connoisseur with a discriminating eye at a time when foreigners were not generally included in such circles or offered works of art to purchase. From archaic jades and bronzes, to Tang-dynasty pottery figures, to Ming and Qing porcelains, the Luboshez Collection reflects one man’s discerning taste across a variety of media, forms and dynasties.
In 1949, when Captain Luboshez and his wife returned to the US, they settled outside of Washington D.C. and brought their collection with them. He designed his home in Maryland with specially fitted cases to display his pieces, as he believed that art should be lived with and enjoyed, not stored away. By the time Luboshez sold his pieces in 1982 he had lived with them for over 30 years, telling the Washington Post, “I don’t need the objects any more. They are embedded in my head.”
The Luboshez Ritual Gong Wine Vessel
by Robert D. Mowry
A covered wine vessel, the Luboshez gong from the Daniel Shapiro Collection ranks among the rarest of the bronze ritual vessels produced during China’s ancient Shang dynasty. The gong is arguably the most intriguingly shaped Shang vessel, as well. The exact function of the gong - sometimes pronounced gong - in ancient rituals remains unknown, though it likely was a wine-pouring vessel. Gong vessels first appeared late in the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1050 BC) and were produced in limited quantities for a relatively short period of time, particularly from the thirteenth through the eleventh centuries BC.
The Luboshez gong is cast in the form of two animals positioned back-to-back and presented in profile, a crouching tiger at the front and a standing owl at the rear. Gong vessels of this type are often characterized as metamorphic forms, as they join two disparate animals to create a single vessel. The body of the tiger rises diagonally up the front of the vessel, with its hind paws firmly planted at the base of the foot ring, its knees fully flexed and projecting into the container’s bulging front, its forepaws poised as if ready to reach outward and appearing just short of the spout’s leading edge. The tiger’s long, slender body continues onto the cover, the vessel spout and associated portion of the cover combining visually to serve as the tiger’s neck, the cover terminating in the tiger’s ferocious head.
The owl at the back stands upright, its feet firmly planted on the base of the footring. The rounded back end perfectly portrays the proud bird’s full breast and abdomen. Each wing begins with a coil that suggests a shoulder joint, the repeating surface patterns appropriately suggesting feathers. The coils unfurl to terminate in elongated triangles, similarly patterned, representing the bird’s wings clasped tightly to its body. The small motif that projects laterally behind each wing—a motif comprising three horizontally oriented, ‘L’ shapes - represents the owl’s short tail. Just as the tiger’s tail curves beneath the owl’s wing, the owl’s tail nearly touches the tiger’s back, visually linking the two animals and uniting the vessel’s front and back halves.
Five other gong vessels all virtually, though not quite, identical to the Luboshez example are known: one in the United States in the Grenville L. Winthrop (1864–1943) Collection at the Harvard Art Museums (1942.52.103) (Fig. 1);1 two in Japan, with one in the private collection of Tadashi Sengoku (Fig. 2),2 and the other in the Sumitomo Collection at the Sen-oku Hakuko Kan, Kyoto (Fig. 3);3 and two in China, both excavated in 1976 from the tomb of Lady Fu Hao at Anyang, Henan province.4 (Fig. 4) A principal wife of the Shang-dynasty king Wu Ding (r. c. 1250–c. 1192 BC), Lady Fu Hao was a powerful figure who gave birth to a royal prince and served as a military leader, apparently leading troops into battle. That gong vessels of this type were buried in her tomb - along with 2,000 other luxury items including some 468 bronzes—attests to the importance of such vessels. As they bear an inscription with her name,5 the pair of gong vessels found in her tomb are assumed to have been cast around 1200 BC, shortly after her death and specifically for burial in her tomb. The similarity in style and decoration indicates that all six vessels were made in the same place (presumably in Anyang, Henan province), at roughly the same time (late thirteenth to early twelfth century BC), and likely in the same workshop; even so, small differences distinguish one example from the next.
Like many important Shang ritual bronzes, the Luboshez gong includes a short inscription which appears on the vessel floor but not on the cover. Describing four footprints around a sanctuary enclosing a ce (i.e., an album or book), the inscription has been interpreted as the ancestor of the modern character wei. (The material and content of such an “album” or “book” remain unknown.) To date, the inscription has not been associated with a particular person; even so, a Shang bronze wine vessel now in the collection of the Musée Cernuschi, Paris, includes the same inscription,6 suggesting that the Luboshez gong and the Cernuschi vessel might originally have been part of a set of ritual bronzes, now dispersed.
Though differing in overall appearance, gong vessels in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (43.25.4) and of the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (F1938.5a-b), are clearly related in style and motif to the six in the Luboshez group and reveal that Shang bronze casters experimented with different approaches to combining tiger and owl in a single vessel. Now missing its cover, the Metropolitan Museum gong has the owl standing at the front of the vessel and the crouching tiger at the rear, the top of the handle issuing from the tiger’s gaping mouth. By contrast, the tiger head and owl face on the Freer gong7 appear solely as cover decoration and do not connect or relate to decorative elements on the vessel itself.8 Rather than describing two different animals, one at the front and another at the rear, the Freer gong assumes the form of a single water bird whose head is at the back and whose long neck serves as the vessel’s handle. The bird’s wings, which extend back from a coil suggesting the shoulder joint, enliven the vessel’s sides, while the feathers of its tail sweep upward to embellish the underside of the spout. Because the tiger head and owl face lack visually supporting bodies on the vessel, the overall decorative scheme is less well integrated than those of the Luboshez group.
The ferocious tiger head at the front of the Luboshez gong finds counterparts in those of marble sculptures found in Shang royal tombs. A marble sculpture representing a “Kneeling Anthropomorphic Figure with Tiger Head” excavated in 1928 from Xibeigang Tomb M1001 at Anyang 1001 is virtually identical in style and appearance.9 (The marble figure is now in the collection of the Museum of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan). The squared head, flat muzzle, thick lips, bared teeth and fangs, bulging eyes, and high-relief, planar horns on the bronze and marble pieces so closely resemble each other that one could have served as the model for the other; more likely, however, each descends from a now-lost model or prototype. The ferocious head on the Luboshez gong also shows kinship to the heads on small jade sculptures of the period, such as the yellow nephrite figure representing a “Kneeling Anthropomorphic Figure with Tiger Head” excavated in 1997 in Shanxi province and now in the collection of the Shanxi Museum, Taiyuan.10
The origin of the gong remains unclear, as antecedents, if any, have yet to be identified among Neolithic ceramics and early Shang bronzes. It has been claimed that “classic gong vessels,” as represented by the Luboshez group, trace their origin to the rare bronze covered boat-shaped vessels that are also termed gong, such as the famous elongated alligator- or crocodile-like example in the collection of the Shanxi Museum, Taiyuan.11 Although its decorative style is related to that of the Luboshez and related gong vessels, the Shanxi Museum piece seems an unlikely ancestor, given its very different shape; perhaps it represents a different interpretation of the gong, or perhaps it is a related but functionally different vessel type.
Gong vessels with taotie decoration first appeared at Anyang about the same time as the gong of the Luboshez group. Also dating to the late thirteenth or early twelfth century BC, a gong in the collection of Alfred Fisk Pillsbury (1869–1950) at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is among the earliest of those emblazoned with a taotie mask (50.46.104a,b).12
Gong vessels with taotie décor became the most popular over time, supplanting those with tiger-and-owl décor. Thus, the gong vessels in the Luboshez group, which arguably claim the most dynamic decoration of all gong vessels, are the rarest type and likely represent an initial, experimental phase in the evolution of the gong. Virtually all Shang-dynasty gong vessels produced in the late Anyang period, in the twelfth and eleventh centuries BC, are decorated with taotie masks that rise in relief above the leiwen ground. As witnessed by a vessel in the Guennol Collection of Alastair Bradley Martin (1915 - 2010) at the Brooklyn Museum (72.163a-b), their covers are cast with the heads of owls and ferocious animals, but those heads do not relate in any way to the taotie masks or other creatures depicted on the vessel itself.13
Several gong vessels reflect an attempt to hybridize the two variant decorative schemes.14 A gong in the collection of the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL (52.7a-b), for example, has its surfaces divided into compartments but lacks the taotie masks generally associated with such compartmentalized surfaces.15 An elongated creature, presumably a tiger, rises from the footring and through the front compartments to connect with the ferocious animal head at the front of the cover, while dragons occupy the compartments at the back.
The gong vessel fell from favor and gradually disappeared from the repertoire of ritual vessels soon after the Zhou conquest in the mid-eleventh century BC. Tradition asserts that the new Zhou ruler believed that excessive wine drinking by the Shang had led to decadence and failure to maintain proper observance of sacred rituals—and thus to the fall of the dynasty in that context, he claimed that ancestral spirits had shifted their mandate to the Zhou and required more sober ritual practices to be observed for the Zhou to maintain the “mandate of heaven.” Therefore the use of wine was reduced while meat and cereals were emphasized as more righteous offerings. As a result, the gong and other wine vessels were gradually abandoned while new kinds of ritual vessels for food were developed during the Western Zhou period.
Robert D. Mowry
Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art Emeritus,
Harvard Art Museums, and
Senior Consultant, Christie’s
1 See: James Cuno et al., Harvard’s Art Museums: 100 Years of Collecting, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Art Museums, and New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.), 1996, pp. 52-53.
2 Tadashi Sengoku, Chūgoku Ōchō no Iki [The Best of Dynastic China], (Himeji, Japan: Hokuseisha), 2004, pp. 9-11, cat. no. 1.
3 See: Sen-oku Hakukokan, ed., Sen-oku Hakko: Chūgoku kodōki hen [Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Sen-oku Hakko Collection: The Sumitomo Collection], (Kyoto: Sen-oku Hakkokan), 2002, no. 106.
4 See: Jessica Rawson, ed., Mysteries of Ancient China: New Discoveries from the Early Dynasties, (London: British Museum, and New York: G. Braziller), 1996, p. 102, fig. 45-1, and cat. no. 45. Also see: Zhongguo shehui kexue yuan kaogu yanjiusuo bianzhu [Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences], ed., Yinxu Fuhao Mu [Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang], 1st edition (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe: Xinhua shudian Beijing faxing suo faxing), 1980.
5 See: Jessica Rawson, ed., Mysteries of Ancient China, p. 102, fig. 45-2.
6 See: Vadime Elisseeff, Bronzes archaïques chinois au Musée Cernuschi [Archaic Chinese Bronzes in the Cernuschi Museum], (Paris: L’Asiathèque), 1977, vol. 1, p. 134, no. 48.
7 See: Maxwell Hearn, “The Arts of Ancient China,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. 32, no. 2, 1973/1974, no. 11.
8 See: John Alexander Pope et al., The Freer Chinese Bronzes, vol. 1, (Washington, DC: Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution), (Oriental Studies Series, vol. 1, no. 7) 1967, p. 243, no. 43.
9 See: National Palace Museum, ed., King Wu Ding and Lady Hao: Art and Culture of the Late Shang Dynasty, 1st ed., (Taipei: National Palace Museum), 2012, pp. 230-231, no. IV-3.
10 See: “A Western Zhou Tomb at Taiqinggong, Luyi County, Henan”, Kaogu, 2000, no. 9, color pl. II-4.
11 See: Daniel Shapiro et al., Ancient Chinese Bronzes: A Personal Appreciation, (London: Rasika/Sylph Editions), 2014, p. 18.
12 See: Bernhard Karlgren, A Catalogue of the Chinese Bronzes in the Alfred F. Pillsbury Collection, (Minneapolis: Published for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts by the University of Minnesota Press), 1952, pp. 89-93, no. 31.
13 See: Amy Poster, Journey Through Asia: Masterpieces in the Brooklyn Museum of Art, (Brooklyn: Brooklyn Museum of Art), 2003, pp. 44-45, no. 1.
14 For a discussion of this phenomenon, see: Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, (Washington, DC: The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, and Cambridge, MA: The Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University), 1987, pp. 412-415.
15 See: John Finlay, The Chinese Collection: Selected Works from the Norton Museum of Art, (West Palm Beach, FL: Norton Museum of Art), 2003, pp. 76-77, no. 1.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Luboshez Gong
1. What is a gong and what was its purpose in ancient China?
A gong (sometimes also pronounced gong) is a type of covered wine vessel from the late Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1050 BC). While their exact function in ancient rituals is not entirely clear, it is generally believed that they were used for holding and pouring wine, particularly during ceremonial or ritualistic events.
2. What makes the Luboshez Gong so exceptional and rare?
The Luboshez Gong is exceptional due to its unique and dynamic design, which combines a crouching tiger at the front and a standing owl at the back, creating a "metamorphic form." This style is considered rare as it represents an early, experimental phase in gong design, predating the more common taotie (animal mask) decorated vessels. Its high level of detail, preservation, and prestigious provenance also contribute to its significance. Additionally, only a small number of similar vessels are known to exist, further increasing its rarity.
3. Can you describe the iconography and decorative elements of the Luboshez Gong?
The Luboshez Gong is cast with a highly detailed design. The front features a crouching tiger with bared, square teeth and curved incisors, bulging eyes, and upright ears. The tiger's body is decorated with scroll patterns and its short forelegs are poised as if ready to reach out. The rear of the vessel features an owl with similar eyes, a short, hooked beak, and detailed wings. The two animals are connected visually, with the tiger's tail curving under the owl’s wing and the owl’s tail almost touching the tiger's back. Additionally, there is a loop handle capped by a mythical beast’s head with ram's horns, wings, and a hooked beak. The entire design is set against a leiwen (thunder pattern) ground.
4. What is the meaning of the inscription found on the Luboshez Gong, and what does it suggest about the vessel?
The inscription on the interior base of the Luboshez Gong consists of four footprints encircling a sanctuary enclosing a symbol which has been interpreted as a ce (album or book) The inscription is believed to be the ancestor of the modern character wei. While it has not yet been directly linked to a particular individual, its presence on another gong in the Musée Cernuschi suggests that they might have been part of a larger set of ritual vessels that are now dispersed.
5. How does the Luboshez Gong relate to other known gong vessels from the Shang Dynasty?
While there are five other known gong vessels that are nearly identical to the Luboshez example (including two excavated from the tomb of Lady Fu Hao), there are small differences between each, suggesting they were created by the same workshop but were still individual pieces. The Luboshez gong is part of a small group that represents an earlier period of experimentation in gong design, where the tiger-owl combination was dominant. Most later Shang dynasty gong vessels feature taotie masks as the primary decorative motif, reflecting a change in design and artistic preference.
6. Who was Captain S.N. Ferris Luboshez and how did he acquire this gong?
Captain S.N. Ferris Luboshez (1896-1984) was an American naval officer and lawyer who developed a passion for Asian art. He acquired the Luboshez Gong in China between 1945 and 1949 while serving as a general counsel for the U.S. Foreign Liquidation Commission, which was based in Shanghai during that time. He was recognized as a serious connoisseur who learned from and built relationships with Chinese collectors and scholars. He assembled a diverse collection of artifacts and kept them on display, believing that art should be enjoyed.
7. How does the Luboshez Gong relate to sculptures and other art forms of the Shang Dynasty?
The tiger head on the Luboshez Gong has striking similarities with the tiger heads on Shang dynasty marble sculptures, such as the "Kneeling Anthropomorphic Figure with Tiger Head" found at Anyang. The features – squared head, flat muzzle, and bulging eyes – are very similar, suggesting a common stylistic origin, possibly a lost shared prototype. These similarities show the shared aesthetics and themes that permeated Shang dynasty art across various mediums.
8. Why did gong vessels fall out of use, and what does this tell us about the transition from the Shang to the Zhou Dynasty?
Gong vessels fell out of favor after the Zhou conquest in the mid-eleventh century BC. The Zhou, believing that the Shang's decadence and excessive drinking contributed to their downfall, reduced the use of wine in rituals. Instead, they emphasized meat and cereals as offerings. This cultural shift led to the decline of gong vessels and other wine containers in favor of new ritual vessels designed for food, demonstrating a conscious break with the Shang's ritualistic traditions.
Conclusion
The study of the “Luboshez Gong,” including its history, decorative motifs, and inscription, reveals the innovative spirit of Shang artisans and underscores the vessel’s significance in ancient ritual and ceremonial contexts. As a pinnacle of bronze-casting expertise, its rarity and distinguished provenance have made it a celebrated treasure. In both academic research and art collecting spheres, the Luboshez Gong stands as a testament to the remarkable design and craftsmanship achievements of ancient Chinese bronze culture.

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