A RARE ARCHAIC BRONZE DOUBLE-SIDED POLE FINIAL LATE SHANG / EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY |

of D-shaped section, cast to one side with a taotie mask, detailed with bulging eyes, flared nostrils, spreading ears, and large C-shaped horns, the reverse with a raised mythical beast head with flat-ended horns sweeping back over the protruding eyes and the broad nose gently curved with a central ridge, pierced to one side with a square aperture, the surface with areas of malachite encrustation, wood stand (2)

Collection of Willem van Heusden (1913-2009).
Mathias Komor, New York, 23rd October 1953.
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Bull.
Offered at Sotheby Parke Bernet, 6th December 1983, lot 35.

Arts of the Chou Dynasty, Stanford University Museum, Stanford, 1958, cat. no. 16.
University Museum, Philadelphia, 1959.

Willem van Heusden, Ancient Chinese Bronzes, Tokyo, 1952, pl. LV.

The finial is in generally good condition with only characteristic mottling to the patina, minor encrustations, and small dents and pits typical of bronzes of the period. X-ray images available upon request.
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.

Related finials of this type include one of larger size and cast with a human face below the large animal mask, from the David David-Weill Collection, sold in our Paris rooms, 16th December 2015, lot 7. Another from the Pillsbury Collection is illustrated in Alan Priest, Chinese Bronzes of the Shang (1766-1122 B.C.) through the T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906), New York, 1938, cat. no. 124. One in the British Museum, London, is published in William Watson, Handbook to the Collections of Early Chinese Antiquities, London, 1963, pl. 12. Two from the Avery Brundage Collection are shown in René-Yvon Levebvre d'Argencé, Bronze Vessels of Ancient China in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1977, pls. XXIV.b and c. One is illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji: Diaosu bian [The complete series on Chinese Art. Sculpture], Beijing, 1988, vol. 1, pl. 99. A further example was sold at Sotheby's London, 6th April 1976, lot, 12, and is now in the collection of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, published in Giuseppe Eskenazi, A Dealer's Hand. The Chinese Art World through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, pl. 7. Compare also a related finial with two circular apertures, sold in our London rooms, 14th November 2001, lot 11.