The Ya Yi fanglei, Late Shang dynasty | 商末　亞疑方罍

Yamanaka & Co., Ltd, Osaka.

Collection of Wada Kyuzaemon, Kobe.

Kochukyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Sekai Kobijutsu Sokubai Daitenkan / Grand Exhibition of the World Ancient Art Relics Sale, Yamanaka & Co., Matsuzakaya, Osaka, 1938, cat. no. 851.

5th Anniversary Exhibition. All-Stars of the Okada Collection: Masterworks of Korin, Jakuchu, Hokusai and the Ru Ware Kilns, Okada Museum of Art, Hakone, 2018-19, exh. no. 12 (unillustrated).

Sueji Umehara, Selected Ancient Treasures found at An-Yang, Yin Sites, Kyoto, 1940, pl. 41.

Sueji Umehara, Nihon shucho Chugoku kodo seika / Selected Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Japan, vol. 1, Yamanaka & Co., Osaka, 1959, pl. 6.

Kobayashi Tadashi, ed., Masterpieces of the Okada Museum of Art, vol. 1, Tokyo, 2013, no. 70.

Named by its inscription, the Ya Yi fanglei is an important surviving relic from one of the most prominent clans in the late Shang dynasty. Remarkable for its imposing form and intricate design, it epitomises the artistic and technical achievements of China's Bronze Age. This fanglei is more than a work of exceptional craftsmanship - it stands as a historical testament, providing insight into the social structures, dynastic power, and ritual practices of the Shang dynasty, and offering a vivid window into the cultural and political world of one of China's greatest civilisations.

The present fanglei bears a two-character pictogram that identifies the clan to which its owner belonged. This distinctive clan mark is composed of a cruciform motif at the top and an anthropomorphic figure below, depicted with its head turned in profile. Long regarded as a captivating and enigmatic sign, this clan emblem has drawn the attention of discerning collectors, and bronzes inscribed with it have been the subject of study by generations of scholars.

An early attempt to decipher this ancient mark was undertaken by the imperial scholars at the Qianlong court. A fanglei of related form and design, cast with a comparable emblem, was included in the Xiqing gujian [Catalogue of Antiquities in the Xiqing Pavilion] (fig. 1), an illustrated record of archaic bronzes from the imperial collection compiled under the direct order of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795). The project was carried out by scholars of the Hanlin Academy, led by Liang Shizheng (1697–1763), Jiang Pu (1708–1761), and Wang Youdun (1692–1758). Completed in 1755, the catalogue correctly identified the top character of the pictogram as ya 亞 but misinterpreted the bottom as qian 虔 (vol. 19, p. 14).

Further studies on this subject have been conducted by modern scholars, who collectively deepened the understanding of this intriguing pictogram and gradually unravelled some of the mysteries surrounding the ancient clan it represents. The upper character, ya, is believed to denote an important military rank in the Shang dynasty, often held by royal princes or vassal lords (see He Jingcheng, Shangzhou qingtongqi zushi mingwen yanjiu [Study of the Clan Pictograms on the Bronzes from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties], Jinan, 2009, p. 50). The lower character, which designates the clan's founder, should read yi 𠤕 and is thought to be the origin of the modern character yi 疑 (see Cao Shuqin and Yin Weizhang, 'Yayi tongqi jiqi xiangguan wenti [Ya Yi bronzes and related questions], Jinwen wenxian jicheng [Compendium of bronze inscription literatures], vol. 40, Beijing, 2005, p. 301).

Yi was a prominent diviner who served three generations of Shang kings, from Wu Ding (a. circa 1200 BC) to Zu Jia (d. circa mid-12 century BC). Oracle bone inscriptions record that he performed important rituals for the kings. In addition to his shamanic duties, Yi is also believed to have held a prestigious military rank and exercised command over the Shang army. Rituals and military affairs were the highest priorities of the Shang dynasty, and Yi's simultaneous roles as diviner and military official demonstrate his pivotal position within the royal administration. Trusted by the kings, his family was among the most eminent aristocratic lineages of the Shang dynasty (see Han Tongtong, 'Jiagu jinwen suojian Ya Yi zu kaolun [An Examination of the Ya Yi Clan from Oracle Bone and Bronze Inscriptions]', Yindu Xuekan (Yindu Journal), no. 2, Anyang, 2024, pp 18–19).

Under Yi's leadership, the Ya Yi clan developed into one of the largest and most powerful families of the late Shang, with branches that continued to flourish into the early Western Zhou period. He Jingcheng identified 124 bronzes associated with this clan, unearthed at sites including the royal tombs at Yinxu and major tombs in Shaanxi, Hebei, and Liaoning provinces. Such findings attest to the prosperity and far-reaching influence of the family. Notably, a late Shang bronze weapon, a yue 鉞 bearing the same clan pictogram, was excavated at Dasikong in Anyang, Henan province. As a symbol of power and status, the yue was reserved for the highest-ranking aristocrats of the period, reflecting both the military associations and elite standing of the Ya Yi clan. He Jingcheng also discussed several variations of the clan pictogram, suggesting the existence of different branches of the family. According to his study, the owner of the present bronze was a direct descendant of Yi and belonged to one such branch (see He Jingcheng, 'Ya Yi zu tongqi yanjiu [Study on the Ya Yi Bronzes]', Guwenzi Yanjiu [Study of Ancient Characters], vol. 25, Beijing, 2004, p. 148).

Archaic bronzes from the Ya Yi clan are mostly preserved in museums, such as a late Shang dynasty fanglei in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Wu Zhenfeng, Shangzhou qingtongqi mingwen ji tuxiang jicheng xubian [Sequel to the compendium of inscriptions and images of bronzes from Shang and Zhou dynasties], vol. 3, Shanghai, 2016, no. 0894; a bronze gu, formerly in the collection of Pan Zuyin (1830-1890), now in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, published in Yan Yiping, Jinwen zongji [Corpus of bronze inscriptions], Taipei, 1983, no. 6000; another, discovered in the Dasikong, Anyang, prior to 1930, presently housed in Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, illustrated in William Charles White, Bronze Culture of Ancient China: An Archaeological Study of Bronze Objects from Northern Honan, dating from about 1400 B.C.-771 B.C., Toronto, 1956, p. 41; and a jia, excavated from the royal tomb at Xibeigang in Houjiazhuang, Anyang, Henan province, currently in the collection of the Nezu Museum, Tokyo, published in Minao Hayashi, In Shū Jidai seidōki no kenkyū. In Shū seidōki souran [Research of bronze ware of Shang and Zhou dynasty], Tokyo, 1984, pl. 197, jia, no. 62. Early Western Zhou dynasty examples from this clan include a yan, sold at Christie's London, 16th December 1981, lot 310, and illustrated in Wang Tao and Liu Yu, Liusan oumei yinzhou youming qingtongqi jilu (A Selection of Early Chinese Bronzes with Inscriptions from Sotheby's and Christie's Sales), Shanghai, 2007, pl. 3.

The present bronze belongs to a small group of fanglei that share close similarities in form and design. A well-published example excavated from the tomb of Fu Hao at Anyang (fig. 2) was included in the exhibition Wu Ding yu Fu Hao. Yinshang shengshi wenhua yishu tezhan (King Wu Ding and Lady Hao: Art and Culture of the Late Shang Dynasty), Palace Museum, Taipei, 2012, cat. no. III-4. The present vessel, however, incorporates a distinctive design element that sets it apart from other related examples: the shoulder is cast in high relief with a stylised animal head featuring mushroom-form horns and a bifurcated dragon body. Chen Peifen argued, based on the depiction of the horns, that the animal head may represent a giraffe (see Zhongguo qingtongqi cidian [Dictionary of Chinese archaic bronzes], Shanghai, 2013, p. 82). No other fanglei of this type bearing this precise feature appears to have been recorded. A related vessel with a similar shoulder design but cast instead with a dragon head was unearthed in Anyang in 1999, illustrated in Wang Xiaoyan and Li Yinhe, eds., Yinxu xinchutu qingtongqi (Ritual Bronzes Recently Excavated in Yinxu), Kunming, 2008, pl. 42 (fig. 3); and another, formerly in the collection of Early and Irene Morse, was sold in our London rooms, 1st June 1986, lot 42, and included in Wang Tao and Liu Yu, ibid., pl. 332. See also a closely related fanglei preserved in the collection of the Nezu Museum, Tokyo (fig. 4), where it has been recognised as an Important Cultural Property.

Very few fanglei of this type have appeared at auctions, and none of comparable calibre has been offered in recent years. A related example, formerly in the collections of Captain S.N. Ferris Luboshez and the C.C. Wang family, was sold three times at auction: twice in our New York rooms, on 18th November 1982, lot 15, and 27th November 1990, lot 49; and subsequently at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th October 2001, lot 763. Another, from the collection of Joseph J. Schedel, was sold at Christie's New York, 2nd December 1989, lot 23.

來源

山中商會，大阪

和田久左衛門氏收藏，神戶

壺中居，東京



展覽

《世界古美術即賣大展觀》，山中商會，松坂屋，東京，1938年，編號851

《開館5周年記念展―美のスターたち―光琳．若冲．北斎．汝窯など名品勢ぞろい》， 岡田美術館，箱根，2018-19年，展覽編號12（沒載圖）

出版

梅原末治，《河南安陽遺寳》，京都，1940年，圖版41

梅原末治，《日本蒐儲中國古銅精華》，卷1，山中商會，大阪，1959年，圖版6

小林忠編，《岡田美術館名品撰》，卷1，東京，2013年，編號70

此罍以銘文「亞疑」為名，乃商代晚期顯赫氏族的重要遺存。其形制恢弘，紋飾精妙，堪稱中國青銅時代藝術與技術成就的典範。此罍不僅代表卓越的鑄造技藝，更為研究商代社會結構、王朝權力與祭祀禮儀提供了珍貴物證，為我們開啟了一扇窺視中華早期文明的窗口。

罍身所鑄二字族徽，上部為「亞」字形，下部作人形側首狀，今釋為「疑」。這一氏族銘文歷來備受學者與鑒藏家關注，相關青銅器已成為數代學術研究的對象。乾隆朝學者曾嘗試解讀這一古老符號，《西清古鑒》（圖1）中收錄了一件形制紋飾相類、帶有相似徽記的方罍，將上部正確釋讀為「亞」，卻誤將下部識作「虔」，見《西清古鑒》，乾隆十六年（1751年），卷19，頁14。現代學者研究認為，「亞」實為商代重要軍事職銜，多由王室成員或諸侯擔任，參見何景成，《商周青銅器族氏銘文研究》，濟南，2009年，頁50。下部「𠤕」字為氏族始祖名，當為現代「疑」字起源，參見曹淑琴、殷瑋璋，《亞疑銅器及其相關問題》，載於《金文文獻集成》，卷40，北京，2005年，頁301。

疑乃商代王室重要貞人，從武丁（約公元前1200年）至祖甲（約公元前十二世紀中期）侍奉三代商王，甲骨文記載其曾為商王主持重大祭祀。除占卜職責外，疑可能還擁有顯赫軍銜，統領商朝軍隊。作為同時執掌祭祀與軍事的核心人物，疑氏家族堪稱商代最顯赫的貴族世系之一，參見韓彤彤，《甲骨金文所見亞疑族考論》，載於《殷都學刊》，2024年第2期，安陽，頁18及19。在疑的領導下，亞疑族發展為商末最強大的氏族之一，部分支系更延續至西周早期。何景成考證出124件與該氏族相關的青銅器，出土地點包括殷墟王陵及陜冀遼等地重要墓葬，足見其家族之興盛。尤為值得注意的是，河南安陽大司空村出土的一件商晚期青銅鉞鑄有相同族徽，鉞作為權力象徵，正反映了亞疑族崇高的軍事地位與社會階層，參見何景成，《亞疑族銅器研究》，載於《古文字研究》，第二十五輯，北京，2004年，頁148。

傳世亞疑族青銅器多庋藏於各大博物館：北京故宮博物院藏商晚期方罍一件，載於吳鎮烽，《商周青銅器銘文暨圖像集成續編》，卷2，上海，2016年，編號0894；原潘祖蔭（1830-1890年）舊藏、現歸上海博物館的觚一件，載於嚴一萍，《金文總集》，台北，1983年，編號6000；1930年前安陽大司空出土、現藏多倫多皇家安大略博物館的另一觚，載於懷履光，《Bronze Culture of Ancient China: An Archaeological Study of Bronze Objects from Northern Honan, dating from about 1400 B.C.-771 B.C》（中國古代青銅文化），多倫多，1956年，頁41；以及安陽侯家莊西北岡王陵區出土、現為東京根津美術館珍藏的斝一件，見林巳奈夫，《殷周時代青銅器の研究》，東京，1984年，圖版197，斝62。西周早期代表實例可比較1981年12月16日倫敦佳士得售出一甗，編號310，著錄於王濤、劉雨，《流散歐美殷周有銘青銅器集錄》，上海，2007年，圖版3。

本品與安陽婦好墓出土的著名方罍（圖2）形制相近，後者曾參展台北故宮博物院，《武丁與婦好：殷商盛世文化藝術特展》，台北，2012年，編號III-4。本品肩部獨特的高浮雕獸首設計，以及蘑菇狀雙角與分叉龍身，使其卓爾不群，極具視覺張力。陳佩芬根據角型特徵推測此獸首或為早期的麒麟形象，見《中國青銅器辭典》，上海，2013年，頁82，同類設計之方罍迄今未見著錄。可資比較者包括1999年安陽出土的方罍，所飾實為龍首，見王曉燕、李銀和,《殷墟新出土青銅器》，昆明，2008年，圖版42（圖3）及倫敦蘇富比釋出一件方罍，為莫爾斯伉儷舊藏，1986年6月1日，編號42，著錄於王濤、劉雨前引書，圖版332。另可參考東京根津美術館收藏之另一相關方罍（圖4），該器已獲列為重要文化財 。

拍賣市場中同類方罍寥寥無幾，近年更無如此精品現身。一件曾為盧芹齋、王季遷家族遞藏的方罍三度易手：1982年11月18日與1990年11月27日經紐約蘇富比釋出，編號5與49，後於2001年10月30日經香港佳士得售出，編號763。另可比較1989年12月2日紐約佳士得售出一件，為約瑟夫·謝德爾舊藏，編號23。