An outstanding and extremely rare archaic bronze wine vessel (fangyi) Western Zhou Dynasty

the robust walls of the four-sided vessel boldly cast on each side in raised relief with a central panel of a taotie animal mask with large protruding eyes, set below thick spiral horns, all centered on a broad cicada-shaped nose, above a narrow register of a pair of confronting dragons skirting the foot, all reserved on a dense leiwen ground, the corners each further embellished with barbed flanges, all below a tectiform cover similarly cast with inverted masks on each side and surmounted by a knop echoing the form of the cover and cast with two smaller masks, the gun-metal and original bronze-colored patina covered with light malachite and azurite encrustation, the interior of the vessel and cover each cast with a matching seven character inscription (2)

Acquired in Taipei, Taiwan, 1980.

Ching Wan Society Millenium Exhibition, Taipei, Taiwan, October 2000, cat.no. 111.

See lot 71 for an essay on the present work and the related fangzun.