ARCHAIC BRONZE 'TAOTIE' MASK LATE SHANG TO WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY 商末及西周 青銅饕餮面飾件 modelled in the form of a taotie mask detailed with large bulging eyes, prominent nostrils and curled horns (16.2cm wide; 382g) Qty: (1) Provenance: Private English collection Note: Bronze animal masks, popularly made from the early Shang to the mid-Western Zhou dynasties, have various shapes and functions. At least four known different uses for masks like this have been identified according to recent archaeological studies, including adornments on shields; attachments to the front of a horse’s head; harness plates on chariots; and decorations on ceremonial or ritual tools.[1] Chai illustrates two closely comparable bronze masks, both excavated from Shaanxi province and dated to the late Shang dynasty, identified as adornments on shields.[2] [1] Private collection, Europehai, X. M. ‘Lun Shang Zhou shi qi de qing tong mian shi (Discussion on bronze masks of the Shang and Zhou dynasties)’, Kaogu, 1992, vol. 12, pp. 111.21 [2] Chai, X. M. op. cit., pls. 4.2, 4.3, p. 1113