A large archaic bronze ritual food steamer vessel (Yan) Western Zhou dynasty, 11th / 10th century BC

the body composed of a lower section divided into three bulbous lobes tapering to three columnar feet, cast on each lobe with a large bovine taotie with thick horns, split-eye bosses and fanged mouths, rising to a pinched waist before the deep bell-shaped upper section encircled by three taotie composed of long-tailed zoomorphs cast in thin lines just below the flared mouthrim, the outer faces of the high arch handles marked by concentric grooves, the surface with patches of malachite encrustation

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

The vessel is in good condition and covered with malachite and cuprite encrustation. UV light showed that there are no breaks or restoration. The grill lid of the steamer opens with ease and appears to be original to the vessel. The inscription is possibly later.
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.

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 from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection, sold in these rooms, 29th March 2002, lot 19.