AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL, GU SHANG DYNASTY

of tall waisted flaring form, cast with a central band of dragon taotie masks on a densely scrolled leiwen ground, with a double bowstring before a band of small 'dragon' zoomorphs and a large band of taotie, all quartered by raised notched flanges, the tall trumpet neck with four scroll-filled tall slender blades, the metal patinated to a dark gun-metal tone with light areas of malachite encrustation

Collection of Henry Brown.
Sotheby's London, 25 March 1947, lot 78.

The gu is in very good condition with the exception of some minor casting flaws and some nibbles and corrosion around the rim and a slightly uneven foot which gives the vessel a slight lean.
"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."

The present vessel displays all the main characteristics of the fully mature Shang style with its well marked and balanced divisions, appealing slender form and finely cast decoration. Compare a closely related example in the Avery Brundage collection illustrated in Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence, Bronze Vessels of Ancient China in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1977, p. 57; another published in Regina Krahl, Collection Julius Eberhardt, vol. 1, Hong Kong, n.d. (1999), pl. 40; one from the collection of Josef Neuman, sold in our New York rooms, 15^th September 1999, lot 49; and one of similar height and cast decoration, in the Henan Provincial Museum, included in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji, vol. 4, Beijing, 1998, pl. 69.

See also a gu from the collection of Robert H. Ellsworth sold in our New York rooms, 19^th March 2002, lot 5; and a vessel from the collection of Philip Dobson Sprouse, California, also sold in our New York rooms, 11^th May 1978, lot 16.