青銅筆記 vol.36 舊金山亞洲藝術博物館：商晚期青銅觥，布倫戴奇收藏 - Asian Art Museum, Avery Brundage Collection, Bronze Vessel of Gong, Late Shang Dynasty

存世量十分罕見，許多收藏家一輩子都沒有機會收藏到一個觥。著名的玫茵堂收藏，雖然有多位學者背書，但仍然沒有一件觥。殷墟的青銅觥在國際公開市場曾以超過1000萬美金售出，參考佳士得藍理捷舊藏，Luboshez觥。

青銅觥

商代（約公元前1600–1050年），約公元前1300–1050年

中國，河南地區

青銅

高24.1厘米，長25.4厘米，寬12.7厘米

艾弗里·布倫戴奇藏品，B60B1032

舊金山亞洲藝術博物館

這件商代晚期青銅禮器觥，是商代青銅藝術中極為獨特且視覺衝擊力極強的器型之一。它充分展現了商代青銅鑄造工匠所達到的卓越藝術高度與技術巔峰。器身採用典型的動物造型風格，將有角的四足獸身與貓頭鷹般的鳥首巧妙融合，創造出一個充滿力量感的複合神異形象，集中體現了商代禮器中豐富而複雜的象徵符號體系。

觥類器物的裝飾母題範圍特別廣闊，即使在商代青銅器整體高水準中也顯得尤為突出。它大量運用現實、想像及複合的各類動物形象，這些形象構成了商代宗教與宇宙觀的核心視覺語言。本器將雄健的牛（或虎）角與鳥類元素完美結合，賦予器物一種超越單純裝飾的動態生命感，暗示著更深層的禮儀或巫覡意義。

關於觥的稀缺性

對於研究中國古代青銅器的學者而言，觥是商代最為稀有且最具地位的器類之一。與鼎、爵、觚等較為常見的器型相比，觥在考古發掘與世界博物館收藏中的數量均相對有限。其複雜的雕塑性造型需要極高水準的塊範鑄造技術，製作難度與成本遠高於常規禮器。這種技術門檻，加上其很可能僅用於最高等級的祖先祭祀或重要酒禮場合，使得觥的鑄造主要局限於商代社會的最頂層。因此，存世的商代觥極為珍稀，每一件都是理解商代藝術成就巔峰與禮儀等級制度的關鍵實物證據。

Ritual Wine Vessel (Gong)

Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1050 BCE), approx. 1300–1050 BCE

Probably Henan Province, China

Bronze

H. 24.1 cm × L. 25.4 cm × D. 12.7 cm (H. 9.5 in × L. 10 in × D. 5 in)

The Avery Brundage Collection, B60B1032

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

Among the most distinctive and visually compelling bronze ritual vessels of the late Shang dynasty, this gong (觥) exemplifies the extraordinary artistic sophistication and technical mastery achieved by Shang bronze casters. Cast in the classic zoomorphic style characteristic of the period, the vessel ingeniously merges the body of a horned quadruped with the head and features of an owl-like bird, creating a powerful hybrid creature that embodies the rich and complex symbolic vocabulary of Shang ritual art.

The decorative repertoire on gong vessels is exceptionally broad, even by the high standards of Shang bronzes. It freely incorporates a wide array of animals—real, mythical, and composite—that formed the core visual language of Shang religious and cosmological thought. On this example, the integration of powerful bovine or tiger-like horns with avian elements produces a dynamic, almost living presence that transcends mere decoration, suggesting deeper ritual or shamanistic significance.

On the Rarity of the Gong

To scholars of ancient Chinese bronzes, the gong stands out as one of the rarest and most prestigious vessel types of the Shang dynasty. Unlike more common forms such as ding, jue, or gu, gong vessels appear in relatively small numbers in both archaeological excavations and museum collections worldwide. Their complex sculptural forms—requiring exceptionally sophisticated piece-mold casting techniques—made them significantly more difficult and costly to produce than standard ritual vessels. This technical challenge, combined with their likely use in elite ancestral ceremonies or high-status wine offerings, restricted their production primarily to the highest echelons of Shang society. As a result, surviving examples are exceptionally scarce, making each authentic gong a critical artifact for understanding the pinnacle of Shang artistic achievement and ritual hierarchy.