China, 13^th-12^th century BC. The tripod vessel has a deep body raised on three tall blade-shaped feet. It is cast on the sides with three bow-string bands interrupted only by the handle issuing from a fiercely modeled dragon head. A pair of posts with conical caps rise from the rim. A two character pictogram or clan’s mark is impressed between the handle ends.

Provenance: Formerly in the estate of Admiral James F. Schenck and thence by descent. James Findlay Schenck (1807-1882) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age, absolutely original and unrestored. A small fissure to one of the legs. Minor losses. Fine, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite encrustations and some corrosion, as well as areas of cuprite. Note the similarity of the patina structure on the present lot and the vessel in the Auction result comparison. It is possible that both vessels originally come from the same excavation site.

Weight: 479.7 g
Dimensions: Height 17.5 cm, Width 15 cm (handle to spout)

Expert’s note: The first character of the pictogram or clan’s mark, yang, represents a sheep in the context of ancient ancestral rituals. Sheep were considered pure, noble animals and commonly sacrificed to ancestral spirits in ritual ceremonies. As such they frequently appear in oracle bone inscriptions and have an auspicious meaning as well.

Literature comparison: Two bronze jue of this type, with a plain body decorated with bow-string bands, are illustrated by Robert W. Bagley in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 1987, pp. 190-93, nos. 16 and 17, where the author, p. 193, notes that jue of this type were cast not only in pre-Anyang times but also throughout the Anyang period. Bagley also proposes that jue with long legs and a compact body, characteristics seen in the present vessel, would date to the earlier half of the period. For a related Shang-dynasty bronze jue with a similar pictogram, see Bonhams London, 7 June 2021, lot 428.

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related bronze ritual tripod wine vessel, also dated to the Shang dynasty, 13^th-12^th century BC, and with similar bowstring bands and patina, at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 19 September 2014, lot 985, sold for USD 37,500.

商代青銅爵
中國，公元前十三至十二世紀。青銅爵圜底圓體高杯式，錐足，盃體高而深，腹兩側設扉棱，尾較短而流狹長如龍頭。于單鋬末端可見兩個字符，或爲氏族標記。

來源： James F. Schenck 上將私人遺產，保存至今。James Findlay Schenck (1807-1882) 曾是美國海軍少將，在美墨戰爭和美國內戰中服役。
品相：品相極好，與年齡相稱，絕對原始狀態且未曾修復。 一足有小裂縫。輕微缺損。自然生長的包漿，大面積綠色鏽斑和一些腐蝕，以及赤紅色區域。 請注意該拍品上的包漿結構與拍賣結果比較中的爵十分相似， 很可能兩隻爵最初來自同一個出土。

重量：479.7 克
尺寸：高17.5 厘米, 寬15 厘米 (鋬至流)

拍賣結果比較：一件公元前十三至十二世紀的商代青銅爵，相似紋飾及包漿見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2014年9月19日 lot 985, 售價 USD 37,500。