Lot 23
  • 23

AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL (ZUN) EARLY WESTERN ZHOU, 11TH CENTURY BC

Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
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Description

  • bronze
  • Height: 7 ΒΌ inches
the pear-shaped body with gently tapering sides surmounted by a wide flared mouth, supported on a high splayed foot angled to a straight foot ring, crisply cast with a narrow frieze above a single raised filet of two pairs of confronted birds with hooked beaks and long wing and tail plumes, on a ground of linear scrolls and centered on two raised bovine masks, the bronze an attractive pale green tone with some azurite and malachite encrustration

Provenance

Yamanaka & Co., London.
Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co., London, 13th December 1977, lot 238.

Literature

Chinese Ceramic Art. Bronze, Jade etc., Exhibition Catalogue, Yamanaka & Co., London, 1938, cat. no. 3.

Condition

There is a ca. 2 1/2 inch long filled crack running from the decorated band around the shoulder down the body and an associated area of smooth gray patina on the body and foot which may suggest restoration.
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.