- 95
AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL (YU) LATE SHANG DYNASTY, 13TH - 11TH CENTURY BC
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- bronze
the deep U-shaped body with rounded sides rising to an everted rim, cast with a wide band of evenly spaced projecting bosses enclosed within a diamond trellis ground composed of elongated leiwen, surmounted by a narrow band of confronting dragons on a leiwen ground alternately divided by raised horned taotie and vertical notched flanges, a row of backward facing dragons on a fine leiwen ground separated by vertical notched flanges encircling the high, splayed hollow base, a single pictogram on the base of the interior, a green patina with malachite and cuprite encrustation, Japanese wood box (2)
Provenance
Japanese Collection, acquired before the 1960s.
Condition
There is a 2 in. (5.1 cm) crack on one side of the body and on the other side there are four short cracks visible on the X-ray. Otherwise, the vessel is in good condition.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
The pictogram may be translated as a personal name, according to Wang Tao and Liu Yu, A Selection of Early Chinese Bronzes with Inscriptions from Sotheby's and Christie's Sales, Shanghai, 2005, no 151, where a similar pictogram appears on a Late Shang zun.
This type of distinctive 'diamond and boss' decoration appears to have been an innovation of the Anyang bronze foundries and seems to have been very popular in the late Shang if judged by the excavated examples of the period. Most often seen on gui and yu, the only discernible difference of the forms being the absence of presence of handles. For a further discussion on the decoration and form see Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1987, nos. 98 and 99, pp. 504-514. In addition there is a similar but smaller vessel along with further thoughts on the origin of the form and decoration in Wang Tao, Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2009, no. 96.
This type of distinctive 'diamond and boss' decoration appears to have been an innovation of the Anyang bronze foundries and seems to have been very popular in the late Shang if judged by the excavated examples of the period. Most often seen on gui and yu, the only discernible difference of the forms being the absence of presence of handles. For a further discussion on the decoration and form see Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1987, nos. 98 and 99, pp. 504-514. In addition there is a similar but smaller vessel along with further thoughts on the origin of the form and decoration in Wang Tao, Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2009, no. 96.