AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL, ZHI, LATE SHANG TO EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY China, ca. 1050 BC. Of elongated pear shape with a waisted neck and flared rim, cast below the neck with a single border of leiwen in deep relief, the splayed hollow foot encircled by two bow-string bands. The bronze skin with a magnificent, naturally grown patina showing a multitude of deep-green malachite and cuprite encrustations.

Provenance: Christie's South Kensington, London, 28 July 1994. Catherine Farrell, London, acquired from the above. A copy of the provenance statement, written and signed by Catherine Farrell, dated 8 July 2022, attesting to her purchase of the present lot at Christie's South Kensington on 28 July 1994 as well as it being authenticated by Dr. Jessica Rawson in 1990, whose appraisal mentioned in the letter confirms the dating above, accompanies this lot. Dame Jessica Mary Rawson (b. 1943) is an English art historian, curator, and sinologist. She is also an academic administrator, specializing in Chinese art. Between 1976 and 1994, she served as Deputy Keeper and then Keeper of the Department of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum in London and from 2006 to 2011 as pro-vice-chancellor of Oxford University. She has been involved in a number of high-profile exhibitions such as the Mysteries of Ancient China.
Condition: Superb condition, commensurate with age, and absolutely original with no repairs or touchups whatsoever. Old wear, signs of weathering and erosion, minor nicks here and there. Solid, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite and cuprite encrustation.

Weight: 317.8 g
Dimensions: Height 13.4 cm

Zhi goblets such as the present example served as drinking vessels. They were employed in important ritual performances aimed at paying homage to the ancestors. According to Chinese beliefs, the ancestors were deemed active participants in the life of their offspring, which they could positively influence if provided with the correct necessities for their own afterlife, see Jessica Rawson, 'The Power of Images: The Model Universe of the First Emperor and its Legacy', in Historical Research, no.75, 2002, pp. 123-154.

X-Ray: Images 18-22 confirm the excellent original condition of this lot.Expert's note: The Qianlong emperor's great love of jade combined with his passion for antiques resulted in his commissioning significant numbers of archaistic jade items for his court. The form of the present zhi vessel has served as the inspiration for a number of jade zhi now in private and public collections, including no. 40 in this catalog (please see the lot entry for further examples). This clearly shows that bronze zhi such as the present lot were already highly valued 300 years ago.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related zhi, of similar form and also with a leiwen band below the neck and two bow-string bands around the foot, dated to the early Western Zhou period, mid-11^th to early 10^th century BC, in the collection of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard Art Museums, object number 1981.106. Compare a related zhi, also decorated with leiwen and bow-string bands, dated Shang dynasty to Western Zhou period, in the collection of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard Art Museums, object number 1956.87.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 18 March 2014, lot 10
Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 33,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: The Fu Xin Zhi, a bronze ritual wine vessel, late Shang dynasty, 13^th-11^th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the related form and manner of casting with similar leiwen and bow-string bands, additionally with taotie mask and flanges. Note the larger size (15.2 cm) and that the zhi has a three-character inscription.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 14 September 2018, lot 1103
Price: USD 37,500 or approx. EUR 40,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare small bronze ritual wine vessel, zhi, late Shang-early Western Zhou dynasty, 11^th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the similar form and manner of casting with leiwen and bow-string bands, additionally with taotie mask and flanges. Note the smaller size (11.4 cm) and that the zhi has a two-character inscription.



商末至西周青銅觶
中國，約公元前1050 年。器身細高，敞口，直唇，體呈橢圓形，下腹外鼓，喇叭形高圈足，頸部雷紋帶，圈足上兩道弦紋。該器壁勻薄，造型挺拔優美。青銅表皮自然生長的包漿，呈現出大面積深綠色的銅鏽。

來源：1994年7月28日倫敦南肯辛頓佳士得；倫敦Catherine Farrell購於佳士得。隨附一份Catherine Farrell寫的關於來源説明的複本，日期爲2022年7月8日，她於 1994 年 7 月 28 日在佳士得南肯辛頓購買了此拍品，並於 1990 年由Jessica Rawson 博士鑒定，信中提到其鑒定證實了上述年代。Dame Jessica Mary Rawson (出生於1943年) 是一位英國藝術史學家、策展人和漢學家。 她也是一名學術管理員，專攻中國藝術。1976 年至 1994 年間，她擔任倫敦大英博物館東方藝術部副館長和館長，並於 2006 年至 2011年 年擔任牛津大學副校長，曾參與《中國古代之謎》等多個備受矚目的展覽。
品相；品相極佳，與年代相符，無任何維修或修飾。 有磨損，風化和侵蝕的跡象，大面積小劃痕。 堅實、天然的包漿與紅綠銅鏽。

重量：317.8 克
尺寸：高13.4 厘米

專家注釋：乾隆皇帝對玉的熱愛，加上他對古董的熱愛，造就了他為宮廷打造了大量的仿古玉器。 此器的造型啟發了許多現在私人和公共收藏中的玉器，其中包括本次圖錄中的40 號（請參閱批次條目以獲取更多示例）。 這清楚地表明，像本拍品這樣的銅製，在300年前就已經很受重視了。

文獻比較：
比較一件外型非常相近的公元前十一世紀中期至十世紀西周觶，頸部雷紋帶，圈足上兩道弦紋，收藏於Arthur M. Sackler博物館，哈佛藝術博物館，藏品編號1981.106。比較一件相近的商代至西周觶，也飾有雷紋帶和兩道弦紋，收藏於Arthur M. Sackler博物館，哈佛藝術博物館，藏品編號1956.87。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2014年3月18日，lot 10
價格：USD 30,000（相當於今日EUR 33,000）
描述：公元前十三至十一世紀商代末期青銅觶
專家評論：比較相近的外型和鑄造風格，以及雷紋帶和兩道弦紋；但另外飾有饕餮紋。請注意尺寸較大 (15.2 厘米)和三字款識。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2018年9月14日，lot 1103
價格：USD 37,500（相當於今日EUR 40,000）
描述：公元前十一世紀商末西周初期青銅觶
專家評論：比較相近的鑄造風格，以及雷紋帶和兩道弦紋；但另外飾有饕餮紋。請注意尺寸較小 (11.4 厘米) 和二字款識。