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

of baluster shape, the shoulders cast with a band of whirl bosses in low relief and set with two loop handles springing from ox heads, a third loop handle set above the foot on one side, the interior of the neck with a pictogram, the bronze patinated to a smooth green colour

Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., New York, 4th November 1978, lot 295.

There appears to be one large patch and two smaller patches repaired/filled on one side. The larger patch appears to be where the two lower handle would have been located. This is now missing. There is a 4 in. section of the foot appears to have been replaced. Patination/overpaint has been added to the exterior on one side to conceal the patches and entirely around the foot.
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.

Compare two lei of similar size and design, one of them with a matching cover, in the collection of Arthur M. Sackler, illustrated in Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. I, Harvard, 1986, pp. 422-426, nos. 75 and 76, where it is noted that smoothly rounded, undecorated lei of this type were an innovation of the Anyang period, ca. 12th to 11th century BC.