AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL (ZUN) WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, 11TH / 10TH CENTURY BC

the pear-shaped body rising from a short spreading foot to a widely flaring neck, crisply cast around the shoulder with a band of confronting dragons on a leiwen ground divided by two animal masks, the bronze an attractive black color with some areas of malachite encrustation

Please note the additional provenance: Collection of Michael Michaels, London. Rare Art, Inc., New York (until 1981). There is a five-character inscription to the center of the interior base. Some parts of the surface have copious malachite encrustation, polished in some areas. There is a 2 x 2 inch area on the base that has different color malachite encrustation and surface texture, suggesting there was a possible repair to a casting flaw. In otherwise good condition. Inspected under UV light and revealed no fluorescence.
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 design band but with a different animal mask, with pointed ears, can be found on a zun in the Freer Gallery of Art, illustrated in John Alexander Pope et al., The Freer Chinese Bronzes, Washington, D.C., 1967, pl. 73. Similar decoration can also be found on a four-legged you and a four-legged zun of oval section discovered in the tomb of Yu Bo Ji of the early to middle Western Zhou period at Baoji, Shaanxi province, where they were placed on a lacquer tray; see, for example, Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington, D.C., 1990, p. 35, figs. 31 and 32.