Published: Friedrich Georg Zeileis, Von Shang bis Qing - Dreieinhalb Jahrtausende Chinesischer Bronze (From Shang to Qing – Three and a Half Millenia of Chinese Bronze), 1999, pages 252-253, no. 86.

Superbly cast, the globular body rising to a short waisted neck with an everted rim, densely decorated with rectangular panels full of archaic scrolls divided by rope-twist bands, all neatly incised in fine relief. The bronze with a rich, solid, naturally grown patina with malachite and cuprite encrustation.

Provenance: A noted private collection in New York, assembled since the 1920s. E & J Frankel Ltd., New York, early 1990s. Friedrich Georg Zeileis, acquired from the above, according to his publication. E & J Frankel was a major New York gallery specializing in Asian Art since 1967. Run by Edith (1939-2012) and Joel Frankel (1937-2018), it was one of the oldest galleries in the United States focusing exclusively on Asian art. Leaders in their field, the Frankels traveled the world in search of Asian art treasures and educated the general public about their shared passion. Their gallery on Madison Avenue in New York City became a local institution, best known for its regular schedule of innovative thematic exhibitions, and frequently visited by the biggest names in the field, such as Eskenazi, Ellsworth, Junkunc, and the Alsdorfs. Dr. Friedrich Georg Zeileis (b. 1939) is a retired physician who built an important collection of ancient Chinese jades and bronzes. He was also a pianist and composer, and published several books, as well as catalogs of his substantial art collections, including fine Chinese jades and bronzes.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age, displaying spectacularly. Extensive old wear, minor dents, small nicks, light scratches, minute losses, signs of weathering and erosion, soil encrustations. Absolutely original with no fills or repairs whatsoever! A Zhou-dynasty bronze in such a well-preserved state must be considered exceedingly rare.

Weight: 2,628 g
Dimensions: Height 23.5 cm

Expert’s note (added 20.2.2023): The relief cast pattern on the present lot almost exactly matches the pattern on a bronze ding in the collection of the Princeton University Art Museum, see the rubbing in the image section. It also appears on a ding from the collection of C.T. Loo and on several examples at the Art Institute of Chicago. The design consists of small snake-dragons tightly curled up with tongues out. Also found on the Princeton example is a separation of this detail by a twisted rope design. The design is believed to have originated in the north of China, and examples bearing it are dated to as early at the 7th century B.C.

Several names have been given to vessels of this shape. A variety of designations, including lei, ling, fou, and pou, appear in inscriptions cast on the everted rims of some of these bronzes, even vessels closely comparable in shape. This type first appeared in the late Shang/early Western Zhou period, and the first versions typically had a long neck and sharply angled shoulders. By the end of the eighth century, the necks on these vessels had become proportionately shorter, and the shoulders more rounded. With its sharply angled shoulders and short neck, the present vessel would appear to represent a transitional period in the vessel's development.

Expert’s note: According to the Zeileis publication, the present lot was judged by Dr. W. Thomas Chase, retired Head Conservator of the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art, as a “doubtless genuine bronze”, while it was with E & J Frankel. According to the same publication, the present lot was examined in 1998 by Dr. Anna Bennett, an archeological scientist and conservator, who found it to be irreproachably authentic as well as unusual in this form, and extremely rare.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze fu with similar decoration, also without handles, illustrated by Jenny So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, 1995, page 217, no. 34. The author notes that vessels with 'twist-rope' panels can be found from the provinces Shanxi to Hebei. Compare a related bronze pou, 20.5 cm high, dated to the Eastern Zhou dynasty, 7^th century BC, in the collection of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.277, illustrated by Jenny So, ibid., p. 210-213, no. 32. A lei without handles and with related dragon scroll cast on the shoulder, but undecorated on the lower body, from Henan Xinyang Guangshan Baoxiangsi G1, is illustrated by Jenny So, ibid., p. 134, fig. 13.2, where it is dated to the second quarter of the 6th century BC.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 September 2013, lot 1113
Price: USD 663,750 or approx. EUR 771,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare bronze ritual wine vessel, lei, Spring and Autumn period, early 7^th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and related decoration. Note the slightly larger size (29.5 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Amsterdam, 6 November 2007, lot 334
Price: EUR 86,650 or approx. EUR 125,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An archaic bronze ceremonial wine vessel, fou, Eastern Zhou dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related form and decoration. Note the animal handles and slightly larger size (29.7 cm).



西元前七至五世紀重要青銅酒器，山西或河北
敞口外翻，束頸，豐肩，斂足，圈足。器身地飾鳥紋與繩紋帶。豐富、堅固、自然的銅銹，帶有孔雀石色和赤銅色結殼。造型美觀，紋飾謹嚴，鑄造精良。

出版：Friedrich Georg Zeileis，《Von Shang bis Qing - Dreieinhalb Jahrtausende Chinesischer Bronze (From Shang to Qing – Three and a Half Millenia of Chinese Bronze)》，1999年，第252-253頁，圖 86。

來源：知名紐約私人收藏，建立於上世紀二十年代；紐約E & J Frankel Ltd.藝廊，上世紀九十年代初；Friedrich Georg Zeileis購於上述藝廊，並收編於他的出版物。E & J Frankel藝廊成立於 1967 年，是紐約一家專門從事亞洲藝術的重要藝廊。由Edith（1939-2012年）和Joel Frankel（1937-2018年）經營，是美國歷史最悠久的專門從事亞洲藝術的藝廊之一。 作為各自領域的先驅，Frankel夫婦周遊世界尋找亞洲藝術珍品，並向公眾展示他們共同的興趣。他們位於紐約市麥迪遜大道的藝廊成為當地的重要藝術場合，以定期舉辦創新主題展覽而聞名，很多知名人士去參觀，例如 Eskenazi、Ellsworth、Junkunc 和 Alsdorf's。Friedrich Georg Zeileis 博士（生於 1939 年）是一位退休醫生，收藏了一批重要的中國古代玉器和青銅器。 他還是一位鋼琴家和作曲家，出版了數本書籍，並出版了大量藝術收藏品的目錄，其中包括精美的中國玉器和青銅器。
品相：品相極好，大量磨損、輕微凹痕、小刻痕、輕微劃痕、微小缺損、風化和侵蝕跡象、土壤結殼。無任何填充或維修！如此保存完好的周代青銅器，實屬難得一見。

重量：2,628 克
尺寸：高 23.5 釐米

此類青銅器包括罍、醽、缶和瓿，出現在一些青銅器的外翻邊緣上的銘文中，形狀非常相似。這類青銅器最早出現在商晚期/西周早期，最初通常有長頸和銳角肩。到八世紀末，這些器皿的頸部按比例變短，肩部更圓。因爲其銳角的肩部和短頸，這件青銅器似乎代表了器型發展的過渡時期。

專家注釋：根據Zeilei的出版目錄，W. Thomas Chase博士，Arthur M. Sackler Gallery 和 Freer Gallery of Art 保護與科學研究部退休首席保護官，與 E & J Frankel 合作時，認爲這件青銅酒器 “無疑是真正的青銅器”。根據同一出版物，目前的拍品於 1998 年由考古學家兼文物保護員Anna Bennett博士檢查過，她發現這件拍品無可挑剔地真實，而且這種形式不同尋常，而且極為罕見。

文獻比較：
比較一件相近設計的無耳簠 ，見Jenny So，《Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections》，1995年，頁217，編號34。作者指出有繩紋帶的青銅器只有在山西至河北境內。比較一件相近的公元前七世紀東周青銅瓿，20.5 厘米高，收藏於Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in the National Museum of Asian Art，史密森學會，館藏編號S1987.277，見Jenny So，如上書，頁210-213，編號32。一件公元前六世紀無耳罍，肩有龍紋但下半身沒有裝飾，來自Henan Xinyang Guangshan Baoxiangsi G1，見Jenny So，如上書，頁134，圖13.2。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2013年9月19日，lot 1113
價格：USD 663,750（相當於今日EUR 771,000）
描述：春秋青銅蟠龍紋罍
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形和相近的裝飾。請注意尺寸稍大(29.5 厘米)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：阿姆斯特丹佳士得，2007年11月6日，lot 334
價格：EUR 86,650（相當於今日EUR 125,000）
描述：東周仿古簠
專家評論：比較相近的外形和的裝飾。請注意獸耳和尺寸稍大(29.7 厘米)。