1. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, October 20, 2010) Period changed from "Shang 商" to "Late Shang 商dynasty"; added "early Anyang 安陽 period"; added "Henan 河南 province, Anyang 安陽" to geographic location.
2. (Keith Wilson, Acquisition Justification, December 13, 2010)
Miniature container (lei 罍)
Anyang 安陽, Henan 河南 province, China
Late Shang 商 dynasty, early Anyang 安陽 period, ca. 13th century BCE
Marble
H x W x D: 7.4 x 5.6 x 5.6 cm (2 15/16 x 2 3/16 x 2 3/16 in)
RLS1997.48.99
This diminutive marble vase with three lugs from the Paul Singer collection resembles larger bronze and ceramic vessels datable to the early Anyang 安陽 period. In fact, a similar but slightly smaller marble vase was excavated in 1976 from the Fu Hao 婦好 tomb in Anyang 安陽, the last capital of the Shang 商 dynasty. But the lower body of the vase from the tomb shows signs of damage, presumably from burial, and only part of one of its original lugs remains. The Singer piece, in very good condition--along with our well known white ceramic jar (F1939.42) and a bronze vessel (S1987.338a b)--illustrates the dialogue among various media during the late Shang 商 dynasty. This vase will also enrich our collection of early marble objects, including F1948.23 and F1978.30.
This rare object has been published by leading scholars, including Umehara Sueji 梅原末治 (1964) and Max Loehr (1965), and was shown at the Asia Society in New York (1965) and at the China Institute in an exhibition featuring miniatures in Paul Singer's collection (1977). In the Singer Collection surveys conducted by Jenny F. So, Jan Stuart, Louise Cort, and James Lally, it was marked "YES" in the curatorial recommendation line. It is relevant to our collection and our ongoing interest in Anyang 安陽.
The accession of this important marble will enable us to lend it to the San Antonio Museum of Art for their jade exhibition scheduled 2011--2012. The show features loans from the National History Museum in Taiwan 台灣 and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (25 pieces each).
Publications:
Umehara Sueji 梅原末治, Inkyo 殷墟 (Tokyo: Asahi shimbunsha, 1965), pl. 122: 1, p. 73.
Max Loehr, Relics of Ancient China: From the Collection of Dr. Paul Singer (New York: Asia Society, 1965), cat. no. 21, p. 25.
Paul Singer, Early Chinese Miniatures (New York: China House Gallery/China Institute in America, 1977), cat. no. 3, p. 16.
References:
Zhongguo shehui kexueyuan kaogu yanjiusuo 中國社會科學院考古研究所, Yinxu Fu Hao mu 殷墟婦好墓 (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1980), pl. 169: 2, pp. 197--98.
Zhongguo shehui kexueyuan kaogu yanjiusuo 中國社會科學院考古研究所, Zhongguo kaogu wenwu zhimei: Yinxu dixia guibao, Henan Anyang Fu Hao mu 中國考古文物之美: 殷墟地下瑰寶, 河南安陽婦好墓 (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe and Guangfu shuju, 1994), cat. no. 99, p. 180.
Thomas Lawton, "Paul Singer--A Sage among Collectors," Orientations 31, no. 5 (May 2000): 35--42.
Paul Singer papers, F|S Archives.
Comparative materials:
Miniature container (lei 罍)
Anyang 安陽, Henan 河南 province, China
Late Shang 商 dynasty, early Anyang 安陽 period, late 13th century--early 12th century BCE
Marble
H: 6.8 cm; thickness of the wall: 0.5 cm
Left: This marble lei 罍 container, excavated from the Fu Hao 婦好 tomb, Anyang 安陽 is comparable to the Singer piece in size and form. There are two grooves encircling its shoulder. The lower part has been repaired. See Zhongguo shehui kexueyuan kaogu yanjiusuo 中國社會科學院考古研究所, Zhongguo kaogu wenwu zhimei: Yinxu dixia guibao, Henan Anyang Fu Hao mu 中國考古文物之美: 殷墟地下瑰寶, 河南安陽婦好墓 (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe and Guangfu shuju, 1994), cat. no. 99;
Right: Diagram of the lei 罍. See Zhongguo shehui kexueyuan kaogu yanjiusuo 中國社會科學院考古研究所, Yinxu Fu Hao mu 殷墟婦好墓 (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1980), p. 197.
Jar with Dragons
Anyang 安陽, Henan 河南 province, China
Late Shang 商 dynasty, ca. late 13th--early 12th century BCE
Unglazed white pottery
H x W x D (overall): 33.3 x 30.3 x 28.3 cm (13 1/8 x 11 15/16 x 11 1/8 in)
F1939.42
Ritual vessel (lei 罍)
Late Shang 商 dynasty, ca. 1200--1000 BCE
Bronze
H x W x D: 40.8 x 32.2 x 26.5 cm (16 1/16 x 12 11/16 x 10 7/16 in)
S1987.338a b
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
3. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 22, 2017) Title changed from "Miniature container (lei)" to "Wine jar (lei 罍)"; period two changed from "Early Anyang period" to "Anyang period"; date changed from "ca. 13th century BCE" to "ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE"; and geography changed from "China, Henan province, Anyang" to "China, probably Henan province, Anyang".
4. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, January 30, 2019) Title changed from "Wine jar (lei 罍)" to "Miniature wine jar (lei 罍)"; added Chinese translation by Jingmin Zhang; and removed draft catalogue entry by Louisa Fitzgerald Huber from curatorial remarks and transferred under unpublished research text entry.
5. (YinYing Chen per Keith Wilson, February 15, 2023)
Change title from "Miniature wine jar (lei 罍) " to "Jarlet (lei 罍) ."
Change date from "ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE" to "ca. 1250-1050 BCE."
Change date from "公元前1300-1050年" to "公元前1250-1050年" in the translation field.
Draft catalogue entry (no. 154) for S2010.40 for the catalogue of the Singer collection (1970--90); by Louisa Fitzgerald Huber
Jar
Shang 商 dynasty, 13th century BCE
Marble
Height 8 cm (3 1/8 in)
The small lei 罍 has a low neck, a narrow, sloping shoulder, and a curving body that tapers toward a flat base. Beneath the shoulder, the jar is encircled by two grooves, while on opposite sides at the same level as the grooves are two tiny lugs. A third lug appears near the bottom, centered between the two above. A crust of green metal oxide extends across the shoulder of the vessel and part way down the side.
A similar marble lei 罍 was recovered from Tomb 5 at Xiaotun 小屯, but it is somewhat smaller than the Singer example and has no lugs. [1]
Published: Umehara Sueji 梅原末治, Inkyo 殷墟 (Tokyo: Asahi shimbunsha, 1965), pl. 122: 1; Max Loehr, Relics of Ancient China, from the Collection of Dr. Paul Singer (New York: Asia Society, 1965), no. 21; Paul Singer, Early Chinese Miniatures (New York: China House Gallery/China Institute in America, 1977), no. 3.
[1] Zhongguo shehui kexueyuan kaogu yanjiusuo 中國社會科學院考古研究所, Yinxu Fu Hao mu 殷墟婦好墓 (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1980), pl. 169: 2.
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