AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL (YU) SHANG DYNASTY, 13TH / 12TH CENTURY BC

the rounded sides well cast with a band of lozenge pattern, each centered  with a prominent boss encircled by angled scrolls, below a narrow frieze of six dragon motifs, each with a single central eye in higher relief, arranged in pairs between three raised animal masks and a border of cicada blades beneath the flared rim, the straight splayed foot encircled by a frieze of taotie masks confronted on shallow flanges, the patina of bright green color somewhat encrusted with cuprite and azurite, a single pictogram to the center of the interior

Collection of Paulette Goddard Remarque (1910-1990).
Sotheby's London, 13th December 1977, lot 216.

The x-ray image reveal that there is a 3 in. wide fragmented break to one side of the foot and several hairline cracks running across and through the foot. They also reveal three areas of restoration to the rim and several cracks, one of them a 2 in. crack extending from underneath the restored area on the rim into the side. There is a 1 in. crescent shaped piece of the rim missing (1 in. by 1/4 in.).
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.

Yu decorated with diamonds and bosses were common in the early Anyang phase of the Shang dynasty, as two very similar examples excavated from the tomb of Fu Hao near Anyang illustrate, compare Yinxu Fu Hao mu, Beijing, 1980, pp. 49-50 and pl. 16. 1 and 2. For a discussion of this type, see Robert Bagley, Shang RItual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1987, pp. 504-514.