- 234
A BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL (GU) LATE SHANG DYNASTY, 13TH / 12TH CENTURY BC
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description
- Bronze
of slender, waisted form, crisply cast around the mid-section and splayed foot with pairs of taotie masks with raised eyes on a fine leiwen ground, centered by notched flanges and divided by a pair of bowstrings, the tall flared neck encircled at the base by a narrow band of hooked scroll serpents with protuberant eyes all below four upright triangular blades enclosing parallel hooked lines and further leiwen, the patina of silvery green color with areas of light malachite encrustation, the base interior with a two-character inscription, reading gui ran
Provenance
Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 19th March 1953, lot 104.
Exhibited
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1980-1982 (on loan).
Condition
The x-ray reveals an approximately 2 inch long restored rim crack which extends three quarters of the way around the mouth with an approximately 6 inch long section broken in five pieces and restored. The foot with a restored U-shape section approximately 2 1/2 inches.
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 inscription cast inside the base reads as gui ran.
A food vessel (gui) with the same inscription is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Bronze Ritual Vessels and Musical Instruments, vol. 27, Beijing, 2006, pl. 8.
The present vase is distinguished by its fine proportions and crisp, even casting. A similar vase to the present is illustrated in Robert W. Bagley, Shang Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1987, pl. 33. Another with the same bands of decoration in the Palace Museum, is illustrated in Bronzes in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1999, pl. 43.
Examples of similarly attenuated late Shang dynasty gu with intricate and refined casting include three sold recently in these rooms; 19th March 2013, lot 47; 17th September 2013, lot 35 and 18th March 2014, lot 6.
A food vessel (gui) with the same inscription is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Bronze Ritual Vessels and Musical Instruments, vol. 27, Beijing, 2006, pl. 8.
The present vase is distinguished by its fine proportions and crisp, even casting. A similar vase to the present is illustrated in Robert W. Bagley, Shang Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1987, pl. 33. Another with the same bands of decoration in the Palace Museum, is illustrated in Bronzes in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1999, pl. 43.
Examples of similarly attenuated late Shang dynasty gu with intricate and refined casting include three sold recently in these rooms; 19th March 2013, lot 47; 17th September 2013, lot 35 and 18th March 2014, lot 6.