An outstanding archaic bronze set of an ewer and matching basin (he and pan) Western Zhou dynasty, 10th / 9th century BC

the broad shallow basin raised on a tall splayed pedestal foot, set with two arched bridge handles below a narrow band of four pairs of confronting long-tailed birds divided by alternating bovine and taotie masks, reserved on a leiwen ground and above raised double filets encircling the tall foot, the pear-shaped ewer with four rounded lobes supported on four thin columnar legs, similarly cast with bands of birds at the neck and along the rim of the cover, one side set with a tubular spout covered with lappets, opposite a loop handle emerging from the mouth of an ox and linked to the domed cover with loop finial, the interior of both basin and cover with matching twelve-character inscriptions arranged in two columns, all beneath malachite and patches of azurite encrustation (2)

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.

The basin covered with azurite, malachite and cuprite encrustation. The inscription to the well appears to be original. There are traces of textile imprints to the rim and the base has an external patch of red, possibly cinnabar or lead that stuck on to the bronze. It is in good overall condition. The ewer is covered with azurite, malachite and cuprite encrustation. The finial, spout, and cover appear to be original to the vessel. There is a repair to the mouth. In good overall 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.

The inscriptions record the making of these precious ritual vessels and the wish for the sons to keep and treasure them.   

It is extremely rare to find an original archaic bronze ablution set of a ewer and basin, with matching decoration and identical inscriptions. Both the he and the pan were used as water vessels during the Western Zhou period, although originally the he may have been used as a vessel for pouring water into wine to dilute it. Only one other matching bronze he and pan appear to have been published, a set sold at Christie's New York, 20th September 2005, lot 156. 

He of this shape with lobed body raised on four legs, but without matching basins, are, for example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Cambridge, Mass., 1990, vol. IIB, fig. 114.2, and in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ibid., fig. 114.3. A similar pan with the bird decoration repeated around the foot, excavated at Qijiacun, Fufeng, Shaanxi province, is included ibid., fig.122.4.