AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL (JIA) LATE SHANG / EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, 12th / 11th CENTURY BC

the deep body divided into three bulging lobes, each tapering down to a slightly waisted leg, rising to a constricted neck flaring to a wide rim set with two posts with low caps bearing whorl designs, the neck and one lobe set with a loop handle issuing from a bovine head, a pictogram cast beneath the handle, the surface a smooth grayish-brown patina with some malachite encrustation

California Private Collection.
Sotheby's New York, 1st June 1972, lot 2.

The vessel is broken into multiple pieces which were reattached and restored at a later date.
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.

Lobed bronze vessels such as the present example flourished in the late Anyang period of the Shang dynasty as examples excavated from archaeological sites of this period demonstrate. See Robert Bagley, Shang RItual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1987, pp. 173-175. Stouter proportions for the entire vessel further accentuated by bulging lobes, however, relate this piece to another type of bronze vessel with similar features recovered from sites of the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Compare Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. IIB, Washington D.C., 1990, pp. 311-317.