清十七 / 十八世紀 銅錯銀題詩花卉紋鋪首耳方壺 《石叟》款

of archaistic fanghu form, the elegant pear-shaped body supported on a splayed foot, rising to a waisted neck and pronounced mouthrim, cast with a pair of stylised taotie mask handles at the shoulders, intricately inlaid in silver with a narrow band of stylised confronting taotie masks, the front and reverse with six-character poetic inscriptions in seal script, the sides with flowering branches of prunus, the underside inlaid with a two-character Shisou mark, the patina of a rich reddish-brown

there are dents, scratches and pinholes to the surface. The most severe is a 4cm bruising to the vertical ridge on the right of the vase, visible in the catalogue photo. Minor rubbing to areas of the inlay.
"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."

The life dates and biography of Shisou are far from clear. In traditional connoisseurship, he is believed to have lived at the end of the Ming dynasty, although he is unrecorded in historical documents. The type of work associated with him is very fine silver inlay mostly executed in objects for the scholar's desk.

Many of the silver inlay bronzes with a Shisou mark are traditionally dated to the sixteenth or seventeenth century, including the four scholar’s objects in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, illustrated by Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, p. 64.

A closely related vessel of Shisou type in the Clague collection is illustrated by Robert Mowry, where he also discusses the problem of Shisou in China's Renaissance in Bronze, Phoenix Art Museum, 1993, pp.191-193.