- 160
AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL STEAMER VESSEL (YAN) LATE SHANG / EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, 11TH CENTURY BC
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
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Description
- bronze
comprising two sections, the upper of deep U-shape rising to a flared rim and encircled by a three pairs of taotie confronting on narrow flanges, the rim with two upright loop handles, the lower section with three legs of conjoined large-horned taotie of lobed form tapering to slender columns, the interior with a dividing grill hinged at one side opposite a loop handle and pierced with five cross-shaped apertures, a four-character inscription on the interior reading 'Bo zuo zun yi', the patina a mottled brown-green with patches of encrustation (2)
Provenance
Sotheby's New York, 14th September 2005, lot 800.
Condition
The upper section has multiple restored cracks.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
A similar steamer, excavated from an early Western Zhou tomb at Gaojiabao, Jingyang county, Shaanxi province, is illustrated in Wenwu, 1972, no. 7, p. 8, fig. 10; one excavated at Shuiku, Bojiayao, Fufeng county, also in Shaanxi, is published in Wenwu, 1977, no. 12, p. 85, fig. 12; and two others from Shanwanzi, Kazuo county, Liaoning province, ibid., p. 32, figs. 50 and 52.
Compare also a yan in the Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan: Qingtongqi, Hong Kong, 1994, pl. 19, no. 61; and one from the collection of Frank A. McMillan, sold in these rooms, 29th May 1973, lot 2, and now in the Sackler collections, published in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1990, no. 31. See also a similar yan in these rooms 18th November 2007, lot 176.
Compare also a yan in the Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan: Qingtongqi, Hong Kong, 1994, pl. 19, no. 61; and one from the collection of Frank A. McMillan, sold in these rooms, 29th May 1973, lot 2, and now in the Sackler collections, published in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1990, no. 31. See also a similar yan in these rooms 18th November 2007, lot 176.