A BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL (GONG) EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, 11TH-10TH CENTURY BC

of oval cross-section with a deep ascending spout, set on a slightly splayed foot, the plain body cast with three notched flanges and one loop handle issuing from a bovine head with rounded eyes and scaly horns, the lid cast with a large horned animal head on the front and a taotie mask with buffalo horns on the rear, the top set with a notched flange with an upcurled tail suggesting a kui dragon, a two-character apocryphal inscription inside both the cover and the vessel, the smooth pale green patina with malachite encrustation, fitted wood stand (3)

A private Japanese collection acquired prior to 1933.

The x-ray images reveal that the body of the vessel as well as the cover has been broken into multiple pieces and restored. The surface has been cleaned with enhanced patina and encrustation.
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.

Gong vessels with deer-like head such as the present example represent a new style in the early Western Zhou dynasty. The smoothly curved form of this vessel is emphasized by the absence of major surface decoration and contrasts diametrically with the highly decorated gong vessels such as the Shang dynasty gong vessel sold in these rooms on 17th September 2013, lot 17. The present piece is also notable for a simplified kui dragon on the top of the cover and a buffalo-horned taotie mask on the rear of the cover. These features seem to be the remains of Shang dynasty prototypes and indicate this gong predates other deer-like examples of the form.

A small group of gong vessels of this type, but lacking the buffalo-horned taotie mask, include one in the Shanghai Museum, discussed and illustrated in Chen Peifen, Xiashangzhou qingtongqi yanjiu (Research on Bronzes from the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties), Shanghai, 2004, vol. 3, pp. 194-195; one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, included in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1990, vol. IIB, p. 707;  and a third example unearthed in 2010 in Chen Zhuang village, Gaoqing county, Shangdong province, illustrated in Wu Zhenfeng, Shangzhou qingtongqi mingwen ji tuxiang jicheng, (Compendium of Inscriptions and Images of Bronzes from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties), Shanghai, 2012, vol. 24, p. 496, no. 13658. Compare also an animal zun vessel with a very similar deer-like head excavated from Shaanxi Changan Zhangjiapo M163 and illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1990, vol. IIB, p. 710.