A gold-splashed bronze ritual wine vessel, jia. Ming Dynasty

Cast with a bulbous mid-section and trumpet neck, supported on three triangular blade legs, the body decorated with a band of taotie masks on a leiwen ground, divided by two notched vertical flanges, the neck with five upright triangular lappets each enclosing two trigrams, with two vertical posts rising from the mouth rim, applied with a separately cast bovine-head handle, fitted with removable metal liner, the base inscribed with five-character inscription in archaic script. 28.6cm (11 1/4 in) high. Estimate: HK$180,000 - 200,000, $23,000 - 26,000  - Unsold.

Footnote: The inscription can be translated as "precious vessel made by Bai Shen".

明 灑金銅饕餮紋斝

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 Dec 2008. Hong Kong. Copyright © 2002-2009 Bonhams 1793 Ltd., Images and Text All Rights Reserved