AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL TRIPOD FOOD VESSEL (LIDING) LATE SHANG DYNASTY

the tri-lobed body raised on three columnar supports and finely cast with incised taotie masks, below a band of cicadas, all against a leiwen ground, a pair of bail handles rising from the rim, the interior cast with an elaborate clan insignia, with mottled green patina and patches of malachite and azurite encrustation

Old Japanese collection, formed prior to World War II.

Under optical, ultraviolet (UV) light and x ray examination the vessel has a restored crack running from the rim to a restored patch, approximately 1 in. (2.54 cm) by 1 in. (2.54 cm), continuing above the eyes of the taotie mask and back up to the rim, approximately 5 in. (12.7 cm) by 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm). The other side has two restored breaks to the rim approximately 2 in. (5.1 cm) by 3/4 in. (1.9 cm). The vessel is more yellow-green in color compared to the catalogue illustration.
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.

The pictograph found on the present lot is also found on a zhi in the Brundage Collection, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Robert W.  Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1987, p. 365, fig 62.4.

For a similar, but slightly smaller example see ibid., p. 480, no. 90.