AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL (DING) LATE SHANG / EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY |

the deep U-shaped body supported on three columnar legs, the flattened everted rim set with two upright loop handles, cast around the body with a diagonal grid comprised of diamond-shapes, each with a leiwen border and central boss, all below a band of confronting kuilong against a leiwen ground beneath the rim, the surface with malachite encrustation

Sotheby's New York, 19th September 2001, lot 8. 

There is a crack to the lower body beneath one handle, approx. 4 cm wide, with associated small losses. Both handles are slightly bent outward and each with a few stress lines. Overall with general expected wear, particularly to the feet, with small losses. The surface has been clean and has a matte finish. X-Ray available upon request.
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.

This type of distinctive 'diamond and boss' decoration appears to have been an innovation of the Anyang bronze foundries and en vogue in the late Shang period. Most often seen on gui and yu, this motif is commonly found on round-bodied vessels. A related ding, of slightly smaller size and with cicadas cast below the rim, excavated in 1970 from Xiaoning tun, Anyang, Henan province, and now in the collection of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, is illustrated in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese archaic bronzes], vol. 2, Beijing, 1997, pl. 26; and a larger version with blades cast onto the legs, in the Avery Brundage Collection, is included in René-Yvon Lefebvre-d’Argencé, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Avery Brundage Collection,  Berkeley, 1966, pl. IV (right). See also two related vessels excavated in the late Shang tomb of Fu Hao, a consort of King Wu Ding (r. 1324-1265 BC), published in Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang, Beijing, 1980, pl. XI, figs 1 and 2; and another excavated in 1985 from a tomb site near Anyang, Henan province, published in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji, op. cit., pl. 23.