A LARGE ARCHAIC BRONZE VESSEL, FANG LEI EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY

of rectangular section, each side of the tapering vessel divided into horizontal registers, the shoulder with pairs of sun whorls flanking the high-relief taotie mask on the two main sides and taotie loop handles on the narrow sides, all set between filets, one main side further cast with a loop handle issuing from the mouth of a taotie animal, the surface of overall pale celadon patina with malachite, cuprite and azurite encrustation



 

Collection of Martin Fischer, German Consul General in Shanghai, 1938

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The vessel is in very good overall condition with the exception of light cuprite, azurite and malachite encrustation covering most of the exterior surface and slightly heavier around the mouth rim.
"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."

Like all bronze vessels of rectangular section, this fanglei form is rare, although a similar vessel is illustrated in Umehara Sueji, Shina-kodo seikwa, vol. 1, part 1, Osaka, 1933, pl. 48, at the time in the collection of the Berlin State Museums. Compare also a closely related fanglei in the Museum fur Ostasiatische Kunst, Berlin, published in Ausgewahlte Werke Ostasiatischer Kunst, Berlin, 1970, pl. 2; and one with a cover, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, included in Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence, Bronze Vessels of Ancient China in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1977, pl. XXVI left.

A further example of a covered fanglei of this type, in the Shanghai Museum, is illustrated in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji, vol. 5, Beijing, 1996, pl. 178; and another related vessel, from the Shaanxi Fufeng Shaogong Gongshe, is published in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. IIB, Cambridge, Mass., 1990, p. 607, fig. 94.8.

Compare also a closely related piece sold in our New York rooms, 30th March 2006, lot 258, from the collection of Takeuchi Kinpei and illustrated in Katori Hotsuma, Shina no kinko, Tokyo, 1934, pl. 22; another fanglei decorated in a similar style but with a foot, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 16th November 1973, lot 6; and a third vessel with a cover sold in these rooms, 14th November 2001, lot 14.