拍賣筆記 vol.103 佳士得紐約：繭山龍泉堂，戰國青銅四山鏡，51660美金售出 - Mayuyama Ryusendo, A Warring State Period Cast Bronze 'Shan' Mirror

28000美金的時候差點落了，結果還是爭奪到41000美金，含傭金51660美金，人民幣37.7萬元。便宜，以前可能過百萬。

此類青銅鏡之「山」紋，係以抽象簡化的幾何形態呈現，圍繞中央鈕紐對稱排列，反映當時楚文化圈對抽象美學與幾何構圖的精妙掌握。鏡背繁密的羽狀紋飾則源自紡織品上的細膩紋理，凸顯青銅器裝飾受到當時織物藝術的影響。

Warring States Bronze 'Shan' Mirror_ Mayuyama Collection

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戰國 青銅四山鏡

WARRING STATES PERIOD (475-221 BC)

估價

美元 30,000 – 美元 50,000

5 ½ in. (14 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box

來源

繭山龍泉堂，東京

出版

繭山龍泉堂，《龍泉集芳》，第二冊，東京，1976年，頁48，編號85

此戰國時期青銅四山鏡，鑄造精美細膩，原為東京繭山龍泉堂舊藏，具高度藝術及學術價值。鏡背紋飾以中央帶稜的繩紋鈕為核心，外圍圍繞一方形素面區域，四周對稱分布寬厚的「山」字紋飾，紋樣簡潔樸素。鏡面底地則飾以細密、仿織物羽狀紋，與中央素面方形框、「山」字紋及鏡緣素面帶形成鮮明對比，顯示戰國時期楚地青銅鑄造藝術已臻登峰造極之境。

此類青銅鏡之「山」紋，係以抽象簡化的幾何形態呈現，圍繞中央鈕紐對稱排列，反映當時楚文化圈對抽象美學與幾何構圖的精妙掌握。鏡背繁密的羽狀紋飾則源自紡織品上的細膩紋理，凸顯青銅器裝飾受到當時織物藝術的影響。

美國弗利爾美術館藏有一件尺寸較小的類似例子（直徑11.7公分），刊於J.K. Murray所著《A Decade of Discovery, Selected Acquisitions, 1970-1980》，華盛頓，1969年，頁18-19；另有更小尺寸的四山鏡（直徑10.4公分），亦經J.K. Murray著錄於展覽圖錄《China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta》（中國江南天堂：長江下游文物精華），克里夫蘭，2023年，頁102，編號10。另可參考佳士得紐約2010年9月16日拍出的安思遠「思源堂」五山鏡（拍品號909）以及佳士得香港2010年售出的六山鏡（拍品號909）。由此可見，本器不僅在尺寸、紋飾與上述器物形成良好的對照，更在風格上體現戰國時代楚地青銅鏡的典型特徵與高度藝術水準。

總結而言，本件青銅四山鏡，除彰顯戰國青銅鑄造技術之精妙外，更可作為研究當時社會審美觀念、工藝技巧、地域風格的重要實證。

繭山龍泉堂舊藏戰國青銅四山鏡

常見問題解答

一、何謂「四山鏡」？本例具體時代為何？

此處所討論的「四山鏡」為戰國時期（公元前475–221年）鑄造之青銅鏡，以其背部裝飾有抽象化「山」字紋飾而著稱。本例所討論之四山鏡即來自中國古代戰國時期。

二、本件戰國四山鏡之紋飾特色為何？

此青銅鏡之背部紋飾主要由中央一枚帶稜的繩紋鈕為中心，周圍以方形素面方框圍繞；環繞中央鈕區域，以對稱形式分佈著四道簡潔而寬闊的「山」字紋帶。此外，鏡背底地則飾有仿織物的精細羽狀紋理，與中央方框、「山」紋帶及外緣素圈形成鮮明的視覺對比，凸顯其裝飾工藝之精妙。

三、本件四山鏡的估價與尺寸為何？

本次拍賣之戰國青銅四山鏡估價並未於原文提及，但根據佳士得原始資料，其直徑為5½英寸（約14公分），並配有日本木盒。

三、本件戰國四山鏡有何來源？

本件青銅四山鏡來源可追溯至1976年前，原屬日本東京著名古董商繭山龍泉堂（Mayuyama & Co.）收藏，且曾刊登於該堂1976年出版的《繭山七十年》（Mayuyama Seventy Years），第2卷第2冊中。

四、戰國青銅鏡上所見之「山」紋具何象徵意涵？

戰國楚系青銅鏡背的「山」紋雖屬抽象化圖案，但一般認為與山岳意象有關，其象徵含義可能涉及當時社會對自然、宇宙或吉祥觀念的理解；惟目前尚無定論。紋飾布局規整嚴謹，亦可能有特定禮儀或象徵功用，顯示其文化上之重要性。

五、本件鏡背裝飾與當時其他藝術形式有何關聯？

本鏡背面精緻的羽狀紋理裝飾，被認為直接取材自同時代織物的細膩紋路，充分顯示戰國時代（尤其楚地）青銅藝術與織物工藝之間的緊密聯繫，反映出當時跨媒材的藝術交流現象。

六、本件青銅四山鏡與其他已知之戰國方鏡相比，有何特色？

本件青銅四山鏡所呈現的形式、大小及裝飾風格，與其他博物館所藏及拍賣市場上的戰國青銅鏡例子均可對比。例如，美國華盛頓弗利爾美術館藏有一件較小（直徑11.7公分）的類似例子，由J.K. Murray於1969年出版於《A Decade of Discovery》（華府，1969，頁18-19）；另有一件更小的例子（直徑10.4公分），亦收錄於克里夫蘭美術館2023年出版的展覽圖錄《中國江南天堂：長江下游文物精華》（China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta，第102頁，編號10）。佳士得曾拍出數件相關例子，包括2010年9月16日紐約佳士得拍出之五山鏡，以及2021年5月28日香港佳士得拍出之六山鏡，皆顯示本件器物於造型設計、藝術水平方面屬於戰國楚鏡中的典型代表。

七、除藝術與收藏價值之外，本件青銅四山鏡在研究戰國楚文化有何重要性？

本件戰國四山鏡不僅彰顯了戰國時期青銅器工藝技術之成熟精妙，更對深入理解戰國時期楚地之社會藝術發展具有重要的參考價值。此鏡之紋飾風格、鑄造技巧及紋樣的抽象程度，反映了楚地獨特的審美觀念及工藝水準，為研究戰國時期中國南方青銅藝術發展的重要實例與學術依據。

A RARE AND FINELY CAST BRONZE 'SHAN' MIRROR

WARRING STATES PERIOD (475-221 BC)

Estimate

USD 30,000 – USD 50,000

5 ½ in. (14 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box

PROVENANCE

Mayuyama & Co., Tokyo, prior to 1976.

LITERATURE

Mayuyama & Co., Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1976, p. 48, no. 85.

This superbly cast and well-preserved mirror belongs to a distinctive group of fine mirrors associated with the state of Chu (c. 1030-223 BC) which, in its heyday, governed territory from the Eastern Sea to middle Yangzi region in south-central China. The group features large slanted shan (mountain) motifs executed in plain broad bands arranged symmetrically around a central, fluted loop enclosed within a plain broad square. The plain-band central square and shan motifs, as well as the plain outer band, contrast dramatically with the intricate, textile-derived feathering pattern of the background. On such mirrors, the shan motif may appear as few as three or as many as seven times around the central loop. While the intended meaning of the shan-shaped motif on such mirrors is unknown, it most likely had auspicious significance. 

A four-shan mirror of smaller size (11.7 cm.) in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., is illustrated by J. K. Murray in A Decade of Discovery, Selected Acquisitions, 1970-1980, Washington, D. C., 1969, pp. 18-9, and another smaller example (10.4 cm.) is in The Cleveland Museum of Art, acc. no. 1995.281. A mirror of larger size (18 cm.), featuring three shan motifs alternating with leaping deer, is illustrated by C. von Spee in the exhibition catalogue, China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta, Cleveland, 2023, p. 102, no. 10. See, also, the five-shan mirror sold at Christie’s New York, The Sze Yuan Tang Archaic Bronzes from the Anthony Hardy Collection, 16 September 2010, lot 909, and the six-shan mirror sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2021, lot 3013.

Frequently Asked Questions: Warring States Period Bronze 'Shan' Mirrors

1. What is a 'Shan' mirror, and from what period does this particular example originate? This 'Shan' mirror is a cast bronze mirror characterized by the presence of stylized "山" (shan, meaning mountain) motifs on its back. The example discussed originates from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) of ancient China.

2. What are the key decorative features of this specific Warring States bronze 'Shan' mirror? The mirror features a central, fluted loop for suspension surrounded by a plain, broad square. Around this central area are symmetrically arranged four broad, plain-band "shan" motifs. The background of the mirror's back is decorated with an intricate, textile-derived feathering pattern, creating a strong contrast with the plain central square, "shan" motifs, and the plain outer band at the mirror's edge.

3. What is the estimated value and size of this particular 'Shan' mirror? This specific Warring States bronze four-shan mirror has an estimated value of USD 30,000 – USD 50,000 and measures 5 ½ inches (14 cm) in diameter.

4. What is the provenance of this 'Shan' mirror? This mirror was formerly in the collection of Mayuyama & Co. (繭山龍泉堂), a well-known antiquities dealer in Tokyo, Japan, prior to 1976. It was also published in their catalog, Mayuyama Seventy Years, Vol. 2, in 1976

5. What is the significance of the 'Shan' motif found on these mirrors? While the exact intended meaning of the "shan" (mountain) motif remains unknown, it is believed to have held auspicious significance during the Warring States period in the Chu cultural sphere. The abstract and simplified geometric representation of the motif reflects the aesthetic sensibilities of the time.

6. How does the background decoration of this mirror relate to other art forms of the period? The intricate feathering pattern on the background of the mirror is believed to be derived from the delicate textures found on contemporary textiles. This highlights the influence of textile art on the decoration of bronze objects during the Warring States period, particularly in the Chu region.

7. Are there other known examples of 'Shan' mirrors, and how does this one compare? Yes, several other 'Shan' mirrors exist, varying in size and the number of "shan" motifs (ranging from three to seven). The description mentions smaller four-shan mirrors in the Freer Gallery of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art, as well as larger examples with different accompanying motifs sold at Christie's New York and Hong Kong. This particular mirror is noted for its size, decoration, and stylistic features, which are considered typical of Chu bronze mirrors from the Warring States period.

8. What can the study of 'Shan' mirrors tell us about the Warring States period? The study of bronze 'Shan' mirrors like this provides valuable insights into the bronze casting technology, aesthetic preferences, craftsmanship, and regional styles prevalent during the Warring States period, particularly within the Chu cultural sphere. They serve as important material evidence for understanding the social and artistic developments of that era.