AN IMPORTANT AND RARE WINE VESSEL, ZUN EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY

the cylindrical body rising from a spreading foot to a flared rim, the raised mid section finely cast with two taotie on a leiwen ground above two further smaller taotie at the foot, divided with four sets of vertical flanges, the surface with a mottled green patina and some malachite encrustation, the interior of the foot with a bold inscription reading Zheng Zhong Zu Yi (Grandfather Yi of the Zheng Zhong clan)

Minao Hayashi, Inshu Jidai Seidoki no Kenkyu (Inshu Seidoki Soran 1), Tokyo, 1986, p. 225.

On the basis of Xrays and a visual inspection, the zun is in good overall condition with the exception of a couple of tiny nicks to the rim and an uneven footring.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This zun is outstanding for its crisply cast taotie motif which stands in relief against the precisely cast leiwen ground, and complements the elegant silhouette of the sweeping neck. Remarkably well-preserved, the refined rendering of the taotie mask with rounded horns is unusual and makes this piece particularly rare; compare a related zun with masks of this type included in the exhibition Ancient Chinese Bronzes, Yamanaka & Co. Ltd., London, 1925, cat. no. 19.

A zun of similar shape but cast with a variation of the taotie mask over a leiwen ground, is illustrated in Jung Keng, ‘The Bronzes of Shang and Zhou’, Yenching Journal of Chinese Studies, vol. II, pl. 265, no. 505; one is published in Vadime Elisseeff, Bronzes Archaiques Chinois au Musée Cernuschi, Paris, 1977, vol. 1, pl. 33; another of slightly smaller size, was sold in these rooms, 15th March 1973, lot 404; a fourth, from the collection of Arnold M. Grant, was sold at Christie’s New York, 20th November 1979, lot 71. Another related zun, but with shallower relief decoration, from the collection of Charles L. Rutherston, was sold in our New York rooms, 22nd March 1995, lot 119.

Zun of this type are also known without the leiwen ground, such as one illustrated in Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. 1, Cambridge, 1987, pl. 50; another in the Buckingham collection, Art Institute of Chicago, published in Sueji Umehara, Shina-kodo Seika/ Selected Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Europe and America, vol. 1, Osaka, 1933, pl. 16; and a third, in the Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, illustrated in Steven D. Owyoung, Ancient Chinese Bronzes, St. Louis, 1997, pl. 14.

Originally used as ritual wine containers, zun are known from the late Erligang period and grew in popularity during the Shang dynasty. They were made either with angular shoulders or of beaker shape, such as the present piece, which appears to have evolved from archaic bronze gu.