A rare archaic bronze ritual wine vessel (Jiao), Late Shang dynasty | 商末 史角

A rare archaic bronze ritual wine vessel (Jiao)

Late Shang dynasty

商末 史角

the deep U-shaped body resting on three splayed triangular blade legs, finely cast on each side with a taotie mask detailed with protruding eyes, all reserved on an intricate leiwen ground, divided on one side by a notched flange, and on the other by a vertical panel cast with an inscription reading shi, beneath the loop handle issuing from a bovine head, the slightly waisted neck rising to two high flaring points on opposite sides, each cast on the underside with a cicada motif interrupting a band of upright triangles, the surface with malachite encrustation

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Height 9½ in., 24 cm