Student Exemplar 496 words

Art 101: Section 001W

3 October 2011

Review of: Davidson, J. 1959. “The Riddle of the Bottle Horn”

Abstract

Throughout J. LeRoy Davidson’s article, he discusses the different speculated

representations of Chinese jade and bronze bottle horns. In this article, Davidson reviews the

theories of other scholars such as Florance Waterbury, Bernhard Karlgren, and Carl Hentze. The

similarity between the resemblance of the bottle horn’s shape and characteristics and actual

animals, Davidson also discusses the symbolism of these particular animals represented.

Content and Argumentation

J. LeRoy Davidson begins his article regarding early Chinese ritual motives by stating,

“none has caused so much controversy or stimulated such diversified speculation as the so-called

bottle-horn.” (Davidson 15) As their name indicates, these artistically and intricately designed

and decorated “flask-shaped” bottle horns bring up much discussion amongst scholars. Many

different theories of the use of these objects have been speculated, as well as the symbolism of

the shape of these objects.

Miss Florance Waterbury formed a rather conceivable theory, which linked the bottle

horn “with the capped horns of sacrificial bulls mentioned in some of the Chinese classics”

(Davidson 15). However, Waterbury’s theory was put down with the theory of Bernhard

Karlgren. Kargren’s argument provided evidence, such as early writings of Mao Heng, that the

Chinese tests described the capping method as one that positions a cross piece of wood which

was tied to the horns. However Hentze’s most recent summaries on this topic indicate that this

motive is a representation of a hut that was normally used for the entombment of the ancestral

corpse. Yet still other theories have been made, none that have been fully confirmed as the
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conclusive one. However Davidson believes they have all inaccurately interpreted these motives

and he himself believes that they symbolize a particular animal, because of the specific horns on

the bottle horns. They speculate that the animal that is symbolized is a deer, specifically a

Muntjac deer, because of the horns.

Article’s Context

While discussing Waterbury’s theory, Davidson cites a Chinese classic in the second

paragraph, Early Chinese Symbols and Literature: Vestiges and Speculations. This source would

be helpful when arguing the interpretation of the bottle horns because one must first determine

the symbolic meaning of the horns, shapes, and designs on the object. Later on, Davidson also

cites Karlgren’s article “Some Ritual Objects of Prehistoric China” when reviewing different

theories. After comparing the horns with the character “tzu”, he comes to the conclusion that the

phallus, the pointed shape of the pictograph differs greatly from the shape of the bottle horn. This

is significant information when trying to interpret these objects.

Bibliography

Davidson, J. Le Roy. “The Riddle of the Bottle-Horn.” Artibus Asiae 22, no. 1/2 (1959): 15-22

Waterbury, F. 1942. Early Chinese Symbols and Literature: Vestiges and Speculations. New

York: PUBLISHER.

Karlgren, B. “Some Ritual Objects of Prehistoric China.” BMFEA 14 (1942): 65-69.

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES

1. This exemplar fulfills the heart of the assignment, but is from an earlier version of the
Review of Scholarship, before I specified precisely what I’m seeking from students.

2. I just added the bold headings, and they don’t quite fit the student’s submission. Please
follow the assignment instructions, so your submission will be better organized.

3. Please read your instructions carefully and follow those, and not this exemplar, precisely.
This exemplar is provided only to help illustrate the heart of the assignment.