AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL, ZUN EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY

the central bulb cast in low relief with two large taotie masks each with ram horns, bulging eyes and curling jaws revealing a pair of teeth reserved on a leiwen ground, the wide flaring trumpet neck and tall spreading foot each decorated with raised lines, the interior with a seven character inscription, the metal patinated to a reddish brown tone with extensive areas of malachite encrustation

Collection of Chester Dale and Dolly Carter.
Sotheby's New York, 1st June 1972, lot 1.
Sotheby's New York, 2nd November 1979, lot 230.

Eleanor von Erdberg, Chinese Bronzes from the Collection of Chester Dale and Dolly Carter, Ascona, 1978, pl. 63.

The zun is in good overall condition with the exception of a 5mm., long vertical hairline crack to the footring, old nibbles and corrosion to the rim, and overall mottled areas of heavy malachite encrustation in particular to the interior of the trumpet neck.
"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 seven-character inscription includes a pictograph of a clan name, showing a human holding a large knife, and the characters that can be translated as ' made for Father Ding this honoured vessel'.

In its form, with its elegant swinging curves and contractions, and the style of the relief decoration, the present vessel is typical of fine Western Zhou dynasty bronzes of this type. According to Erdberg, ibid., p. 108, this zun was fashioned before the leiwen motif coarsened or disappeared and was probably made within the span of the first two generations of the Zhou dynasty.

For examples of zun with similar taotie decoration see several illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. IIB, Cambridge, Mass., 1990, pl. nos. 79-82 and figs. 79.1-3, 81.1 and 82.1. Compare also a vessel sold in these rooms, 4th November 1969, lot 17; one, also attributed to the Western Zhou period, sold in our New York rooms, 23rd September 1997, lot 116; and a third example of slightly smaller dimensions and with a more compressed body, sold in these rooms, 7th December 1993, lot 6.