AN ARCHAIC BRONZE POURING VESSEL, YI WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY

the boat-shaped vessel raised on four dragon-shaped scroll feet and with a curved U-shaped spout, the body cast with horizontal concave ribs with a wide band of zoomorphic S-shaped motifs below the rim, set to one side with a large mythical beast loop handle, the dark brown patina with areas of malachite encrustation

Collection of Alphonse Kann, Paris. (Collection number 365).
Seized by the Nazis in October 1940.
In deposit at the Jeu de Paume museum (ref. Ka 121). 
Transfered at Altaussee salt mine art center, Austria.
Restituted to owner in July 1947.
Collection of He'le'ne Kann-Bokanowski, Paris. 

There is restoration to right side of the antlers of the mythical beast handle, which was broken off and has been re-attached. There is restoration to a horizontal hole (approx 5cm by 2cm) to the body to the right of where the lower section of the handle is attached to the body. There is also restoration to two smaller holes to the right of this (approx 2cm by 3mm and 3mm by 2mm). There is also two very small holes to the left side, just below the rim (approx each 2mm by 1mm).
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

With the crisply moulded deep grooves covering the surface which both echo and accentuate its form, this vessel is a handsome example of yi produced in the late Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-771 BC). The boat-shape form together with a U-shaped spout appears to have been derived from earlier gong vessels, and remodelled with a deeper body and four dragon-shaped scroll legs. Bronze yi was used together with water basins (pan) in ritual ceremonies for the cleansing of the hands. The robustness of the vessel provides an attractive contrast with the well-defined zoomorphic band beneath the rim, along with the large mythical beast loop handle. Compare a similar yi, with a five-character inscription, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, published in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji, vol. 6, Beijing, 1998, pl. 147; one from the Bella and P.P. Chiu Collection, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, The Bella and P.P. Chiu Collection of Ancient Chinese Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1988, pl. 31, and sold in these rooms, 7^th June 2000, lot 12; one with inscriptions from the collection of Mrs Walter Sedgwick, illustrated in William Watson, Ancient Chinese Bronzes, London, 1962, pl. 49a; another excavated from a site of the state of Zeng in Jingshan county, Hubei province, illustrated in Hubei jingshan faxian zengguo tongqi [Bronze vessels of the Zeng state discovered in Jingshan, Hubei], Wenwu [Cultural Relic], 1972, vol. 2, pp. 51; and a fifth example, sold at Christie’s New York, 22^nd/23^rd March 2012, lot 1511.