Basin (jian) with narrative scenes

1. Purchased from Lai-Yuan and Company, New York. Formerly in the Bing Collection. For price, see S.I. 675, original "Bronze List."

2. (Undated folder sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese, Han. See further, S.I. 675, Appendix VII.

3. (C.L.F., undated) Rare and very important. At the Metropolitan Museum, 1919.

4. (J.E.L., 1931) Han or earlier--3rd century B.C.

5. (A. G. Wenley, 1946) Late Chou dynasty, 4th-3rd century B.C. Perhaps just at the end of the Chou period.

6. (J.A. Pope, 1968) Attributes this to Late Chou dynasty, late 6th-early 5th century B.C.

7. (T. Lawton, 1976) Changed from Late Chou dynasty, late 6th--early 5th century B.C., to Warring States Period, 5th century B.C.

8. (T. Lawton, 1982--From an exhibition label) Added Early to attribution. This large "chien," or basin, rises from a low foot; the full swelling shape of the body curves inward to meet a broad, sharply everted lip. A wide concave horizontal band beneath the lip of the basin is echoed by two narrow horizontal bands placed lower on the ceremonial vessel. Each of these narrower bands is decorated with diagonal and curl motifs cast in intaglio. The same design appears on the vertical edge of the everted lip. The narrow band on the foot of the basin is decorated with a braid pattern. Four large handles with three-dimensional monster masks support pendant rings. Although the handles are contemporaneous in style with the vessel, some technical aspects of the way they are joined to the body of the "chien" suggest that they might not be original. One of the handles is less finely cast and probably is a later replacement. An abstract linear design on the surfaces of the four pendant rings is cast in intaglio. The elaborate curvilinear forms of the monster masks, characterized by raised curls and relief motifs, are similar to those found on bronze "chien" unearthed at Shan-pioa-chen and at Liu-li-ko, Honan province, and in tomb 25 at Fen-shui-ling, Ch'ang-chih, Shansi province.
The widest horizontal register on the exterior of the basin is filled with stylized human figures, chariots, fish, birds, and animals. Both two and four-horse chariots are represented. Some human figures carry swords and shields; others are archers and use a particular type of weighted arrow.
All are represented in silhouette, with a few specific details--such as eyes, drapery folds, and harnesses--simply indicated. The basic compositional unit is repeated seven times around the entire vessel.
In decorating the two remaining registers on the outside of the basin, the artisan divided the elements of the widest register and selected elements from the upper portion for the top-most register and elements from the lower portion for the lowermost register. Once again, the specific compositional units are repeated several times around the outer surface of the vessel. The meaning of these scenes has been interpreted by a number of scholars. Charles Weber provides a convenient summary of the different options.
The relief areas on some vessels with pictorial decorations are filled with a contrasting metal--frequently copper or silver--but there is some uncertainty as to whether the sunken portions of the Freer "chien" might originally have been inlaid. No traces of inlay remain. The recessed areas are now filled with cerussite, a whitish corrosion product of lead.
On the inner surface of the Freer basin are bands of ducks, fish, and turtles modeled in high relief, with special attention to patterns describing different textures. The top register depicts fourteen ducks, alternately walking and swimming. In the second register, two different sizes of fish seen in profile and, curiously, presented upside down, alternate with the ducks. On the bottom register are turtles with their heads alternately pointed upward and downward.
A "p'an" acquired by L. Wannieck at the site of Li-yu in 1923 and now in the Musee Guimet is decorated with a similar assemblage of ducks, fish, and turtles on the interior surface. Virtually identical relief ducks and fish appear on the "chien" found at Liu-li-ko. Perhaps the earliest instance of fish of this type cast on the interior of a bronze vessel is provided by a "p'an" in the Shanghai Museum, which is assigned to the early Spring and Autumn period.
The tradition of decorating the interior surfaces of bronze vessels with fish and other creatures can be traced as far back as the Shang dynasty. Shang assemblages are varied; fish are sometimes grouped together with dragons and birds. During the late Eastern Chou the creatures cast on "p'an" and "chien" have a natural association with water are depicted as though they actually were swimming. The departure from the hieratic assemblages of the Shang period in a favor of a more pronounced realism in the late Eastern Chou reflects a greater emphasis on the more secular functions of the vessels.
When Charles Lang Freer acquired this "chien" in 1915, it was assigned to the Han dynasty, as were most comparable bronze vessels at that time. Although precise dating of vessels with pictorial representations continues to pose problems, recent archaeological finds make it possible to amend earlier attributions.
The details of fish, ducks, and turtles on the Freer "chien" relate them to the representations on bronze vessels associated with the Li-yu style. Although those bronzes do vary in style and chronological sequence, the over-all shape of the Freer "chien," as well as the single band of braid decoration on the foot rim, immediately recall the Chih chun-tzu "chien," one of which is also in the Freer collection (39.5). The brief inscription inside the Chih chun-tzu "chien" indicates that they were cast prior to 453 B.C.
Some further range in dates for bronzes with pictorial decoration is provided by the examples of inlay vessels from the tomb of Marquis Chao of Ts'ai. In addition, some bronzes with pictorial decoration have been unearthed with vessels that can be dated stylistically to a general period. For instance, in the official report for the finds at Shan-piao-chen, which have already been mentioned, Kuo Pao-chun proposes a date of 300-240 B.C. for the contents of tomb 1. More recently, Kao Ming has demonstrated that the tomb should be dated to the early years of the Warring States period. The "hu" found at T'ang-shen, Hopei province, the former territory of the state of Yen, at Kao-wang-ssu, Feng-hsiang, Shensi Province, and that found at Pai-hua-t'an, Ch'eng-tu, Szechwan Province, all point to an early fifth century B.C. date. Considering the evidence, there seems no question but that the "chien" with pictorial decoration should be assigned to the period between 500 and 450 B.C.

9. (J. Smith per Keith Wilson, 7/1/2008) Vessel added as secondary classification

10. (Jenny Liu, Researcher 7/28/06) The piece donated by 1961 (F 1961.32) by the Meyers. Aside from its noteworthy, bold artistic style, it has quite a history. It was acquired by the Meyers from C.T. Loo in 1915. At the time C.T. Loo was part of Lai Yuan & Co. (????)on 557 Fifth Avenue.
Interestingly, on the same inventory list dated Dec. 10, 1915, there were three other Freer items, namely F15.107, 61.32, 68.29, and 15.102. Loo writes in his list to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Meyer that 61.32 was discovered "in 1913 at a ruined tomb near Yü-Ling Fu." Also, the big basin with four handles was said to have come from "Si-An-Fu."  (C.T. Loo's inventory note to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Meyer, Dec. 10, 1915. Object file for F1961.331-b.)

11. (S. Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, 7 July 2010) Title changed from "Ceremonial basin (Chien).  Several small holes" to "Basin (jian) with narrative scenes"; Object name changed from "Basin (chien)" to "Ritual vessel"; period from "Eastern Zhou" to "Middle Eastern Zhou dynasty."