A RARE BRONZE SWORD, JIAN, WARRING STATES PERIOD China, 475-221 BC. The long, tapering blade has beveled edges and a median ridge on each side. The guard and pommel are prominently cast with a taotie mask in high relief, and the hilt is encircled by raised diagonal designs.

Provenance: From the collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939), acquired 1 October 1929 (according to label) and thence by descent. From the collection of Dr. Wou Kiuan, acquired from the above. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. H.2.24. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses and fissures, some possibly with associated old fills, weathering and erosion. Fine, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite and cuprite encrustation.

Weight: 579.7 g
Dimensions: Length 40.4 cm

Literature comparison:
Similar cast decoration can be seen on the guard of a Warring States bronze sword of related size (42.1 cm) included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ancient Bronze Weaponry in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, 1995, p. 204, pl. 33. Related taotie masks can also be seen on the guards of two Warring States bronze swords illustrated by M. Loehr in Chinese Bronze Age Weapons, Baltimore, 1956, pls. 38 and 40, nos. 98 and 99. Compare also with a closely related sword in The Frank Collection, Christian Deydier, Paris, 2011, page 60, number 19, dated mid - late Spring and Autumn period, 6th-5th century BC, probably Qin culture.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1443
Price: USD 27,500 or approx. EUR 33,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze sword, early Warring States period, 5^th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the similar form and related but sparse taotie mask design. Note the size (56.5 cm).



戰國時期罕見銅劍
中國，公元前475-221年。劍柄頂端和劍身頂端鑄有饕餮紋，劍柄扁圓分格，劍身有道稜於中間突起，通身積厚綠銅鏽。

來源：Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939)收藏，購於1929年10月1日 (根據標籤)，保存至今；吳 權博士購於上述收藏，收錄與吳蓮白美術館，收藏編號 H.2.24。Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) 是一位英國人類學家和博物館館長，他在二十世紀初建立了一個重要的民族志收藏，現在收藏在英國的各個博物館中。Beasley和他的妻子Irene一起建立了Cranmore民族志博物館，該博物館最終收藏了 6,000 多件民族志方面的物品。Beasley 收集了來自歐洲各地的物品，從拍賣行和當地博物館購買以擴大收藏範圍，其中包含來自太平洋、亞洲、非洲和美國西北部的資料。Beasley為人類學期刊撰寫了大量文章，被公認爲是該領域的專家。他於 1939 年去世，他的藏品幸虧在戰爭期間被存放在大英博物館裏，而Cranmore博物館被轟炸摧毀。戰後，大部分藏品被轉移到大英博物館、愛丁堡皇家博物館、劍橋大學考古與人類學博物館、Pitt Rivers博物館和Merseyside County博物館。其他收藏，例如現在的拍品，由他的遺孀出售，在她 1974 年去世後，由他們的女兒出售。
品相：狀況機好，與年齡相符。大面積磨損、缺損，有裂縫，有些可能與修補、風化和侵蝕有關。天然包漿，大量紅綠色銅鏽。

重量：579.7 克
尺寸：長40.4 厘米

文獻比較：
相似的鑄造裝飾可見於一把戰國時期青銅劍的劍柄上，相近的尺寸(42.1 厘米)，見台北故宮博物館，《故宮青銅兵器圖錄》，臺灣，1995年，頁204，圖33。兩把戰國時期青銅劍的把手上有相近的饕餮紋，M. Loehr，《Chinese Bronze Age Weapons》，巴爾的摩，1956年，圖38和40，編號98和99。比較一件也非常相近的公元前六至五世紀春秋中期至晚期青銅劍，或為秦文化，見The Frank Collection，《Christian Deydier》，巴黎，2011年，頁60，編號19。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2013年9月20日，lot 1443
價格：USD 27,500（相當於今日EUR 33,000）
描述：西元五世紀戰國早期青銅劍
專家評論：比較相似的外型、相近但稀疏的饕餮紋。請注意尺寸 (56.5 厘米)。