AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL (YU) SHANG DYNASTY, 12TH / 11TH CENTURY BC

the deep rounded sides cast with a wide band of evenly spaced bosses enclosed within a diamond trellis ground comprised of elongated leiwen, below a narrow frieze of cicadas interspersed with domed whorled medallions and three horned animal masks in high relief all below a slightly everted rim, supported on a high splayed foot with a band of three dismembered taotie masks with protuberant eyes and bisected by a raised flange, the gray-green patina with areas of encrustation

Property of Captain and Mrs. Ferris S. N. Luboshez.
Sotheby's London, 29th March 1977, lot 166.

Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, University of Maryland Art Gallery, 1972, no. 9.

Harriet McNamee, Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, Maryland, 1972, cat. no. 9.

The x-ray image reveals that half the rim was broken into several pieces and put back together at a later stage. It also shows two vertical cracks running down the foot. It also shows a three-prong star crack (stress crack?) to the center of the base. There are some small filled-in areas visible to the inside base.
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.

This you is unusual as the diamond and bosses design is cast below a narrow band of cicadas alternating with low raised bosses, a decorative element found, for example, on a ding of slightly earlier date, illustrated in Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1987, pp. 458-459, no. 83.