A BRONZE RITUAL TRIPOD VESSEL (DING) MIDDLE WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, 10TH-9TH CENTURY BC

raised on three tubular legs with taotie and ring-lined terminals, the rounded body cast with taotie masks centered on raised flanges, the flat everted rim set with two upright loop handles, the sides crisply cast with a band of stylized dragon motifs interspersed by further raised flanges, above a wide band of diamond diaper enclosing bosses, all on a finely defined leiwen ground, the interior cast with a four-character inscription, the first a pictogram then followed by Zuo Fu Ji (Made for Father Ji), the patina of a deep malachite-green

Sotheby's London, 10th November 2004, lot 504.

Under x ray examination there is one old repair and one crack on the base; otherwise the piece is in overall good condition. There are several chaplets to the 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.

The ding bears a four-character inscription starting with a clan sign. Compare a ding with similar decoration of a lozenge diaper enclosing bosses on the body, but with plain legs and leiwen design around the rim, illustrated in Shaanxi chutu Shang Zhou qingtongqi, vol. 1, Beijing, 1979, p. 42, pl. 27; and another from the collection of Professor Bullock included in the exhibition Ancient Chinese Bronzes from an English Private Collection, Eskenazi, London, 1999, cat. no. 4. Another related ding excavated in 1985 from a tomb site near Anyang, Henan province, is included in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji, vol. 2, Beijing, 1997, pl. 23; and one is illustrated in Bernhard Karlgren, 'New Studies on Chinese Bronzes', The Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 9, Stockholm, 1937, pl. XXXII.