A rare archaic bronze tripod wine vessel (jue) Middle Shang dynasty

the compressed globular body cast in high-relief with a pair of taotie masks on a plain ground, one of the masks with raised bosses for eyes, below double-raised filets encircling the neck and a loop handle on one side, set on the rim with a linked-bridge finial, straddling the narrow curved spout opposite the triangular projecting rim, all raised on three slender legs tapering from the slightly rounded base to a pointed tip

Acquired by the present owner in the early 1990s; prior to that, on the Japanese art market in the early 1980s.

Min Chiu Society exhibition, 1999 - 2000.
Hong Kong Museum of Art , 2001 - 2006.

UV light showed that the spout and the finial has been replaced. The tip of one foot appears to have been rebuilt, but the rest of the vessel appears to be in very good condition.
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.

Jue of the early Bronze Age are generally plain or only sparsely decorated with a simple linear design. The present vessel is remarkable for its rich taotie design band in a style that was introduced in the early Shang period, and it is extremely rare to find a jue with a bridge finial of this type. While jue of the early Shang period tend to be more angular in form, the bulging body of this piece is characteristic of a slightly later phase, in the middle Shang period, still well pre-dating the Anyang phase.

A very similar jue but with two parallel finials is published in Chen Peifen, Xia Shang Zhou qingtongqi yanjiu, Xia and Shang section, vol.1, pl. 30.

For more commonly found examples see a jue illustrated in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei, 1998, pl. 1, together with another related piece, excavated in Zhengzhou, Henan province, fig. 1:2.  Compare also four other bronze jue of the Erligang period with various simple linear designs, included in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji, vol. 1, Beijing, 1996, pls. 61-64, in the Henan Provincial Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, and Shanghai Museum, respectively.