LATE SHANG DYNASTY, ANYANG, CIRCA 1200-1100 BC
9 5/8 in. (24.5 cm.) high, 12¼ in. (31 cm.) across
The lower and upper body flat-cast with three large taotie masks divided by narrow flanges and flanked by small birds or dragons, all reserved on bands of leiwen, as are the three pairs of addorsed dragons on the foot below three small rectangular apertures, with mottled green patina.
Provenance:
Yamanaka & Co.
Ernest R. Debenham Collection.
Sotheby's, London, 11 December 1984, lot 7.
Michael Weisbrod Ltd., New York, 5 March 1987.
Published:
Umehara, Shina kodo seikwa, 1933, part I, vol. II, pl. 124.
Rong Geng, Shang Zhou yiqi tongkao, 1941, p. 472, no. 897.
Exhibited:
Tenth Anniversary Exhibition, Selected Chinese Works of Art, Michael Weisbrod Ltd., New York, 1986.
Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1990, no. 9.
The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Singapore, 2000, no. 21.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2002-2006, p. 109.