AN IMPORTANT ARCHAIC BRONZE WINE VESSEL (ZUN) LATE SHANG DYNASTY, 13TH-11TH CENTURY BC

with a tall and slightly bulging waist, a wide trumpet-shape mouth and a molded foot, the upper body of the vessel largely plain, two bowstrings on the curved neck; its swelling waist and splayed lower part are decorated with bands, divided by eight thick notched flanges, with eight highly stylized dragon motifs in between; the dragon with raised eyes, bird-like beak and upright tail, against a background of leiwen, the waist band is bordered by rows of small circlets; the bronze with a warm aged patina, and small areas of red cuprite and green malachite, a long inscription with eleven columns inside the footring

Collection of Charles Lambert Rutherston (1866-1927), Bradford, England.
Sotheby’s New York, 22nd March 1995, lot 119.
Sotheby’s New York, 17th October 2001, lot 10.

The Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, 1915.
International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy, London, 1935-36.
An Exhibition of Chinese Art, New Zealand, 1937.
Bluett & Sons, London, 1948.

Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Art, Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1915, pl. XLI.
Hamilton Bell, “Mr C.L. Rutherston’s Bronzes”, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. XXVII, February 1916, pp. 231-238, pl. 1., fig. A.
Albert J. Koop, Early Chinese Bronzes, London 1924, p. 39, pl. 4.
Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art 1935-6: Illustrated Supplement to the Catalogue, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, p. 16, fig. 182.
Bernhard Karlgren, “New Studies on Chinese Bronzes”, Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, no. 9, Stockholm, 1937, p. 50, no. 730.
Captain George Humphreys-Davis, An Exhibition of Chinese Art held in 1937 at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in the Dominion of New Zealand, Auckland, N.Z. Newspaper Ltd., 1937, no. 104.
The Rutherston Collection of Old Chinese Works of Art, London, Bluett & Sons, 1948, no. 80.
Bernhard Karlgren, “Marginalia on Some Bronze Albums II”, Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (BMFEA), no. 32, Stockholm, 1960, pl. 19b.

The X-rays reveal that the vessel is in good condition. Inside the foot ring there is a long inscription of eleven columns, but judging by the content and calligraphic style, the inscription was added later, probably by the 18th century antiquarians.
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 dating of this lot is consistent with the results of a thermoluminescence test, Oxford Authentication Ltd., no. 666v19.