Provenance: Private collection, Ashiya, Japan, acquired prior to World War II.

Note: The three-character inscription cast on the interior of this gui also appears on a gui dated early Western Zhou dynasty in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, illustrated by J. Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, vol.IIB, 1990, pp. 352-53, no. 36, where it is translated as "made the precious sacrificial vessel". Unlike the present gui, the Sackler gui is decorated with a prominent taotie on either side, and the handles are surmounted by large animal heads with horns.

Bronze gui of the present type with the same dragons and protruding fangs appear to have two different bands of decoration on the foot - either bottle-horn dragons with long curved snouts, or S-shaped serpents like those on the present vessel. The first type is represented by the gui illustrated in Catalogue to the Special Exhibition of Grain Vessels of the Shang and Chou Dynasties, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1985, pl. 23. The second type is represented by the present example and a gui excavated from a Western Zhou cemetery at Zhuyuangou near Baoji, Shaanxi province, illustrated in Wenwu, 1983:2, pl. 2 fig. 2. Another gui with the S-shaped serpent band on the foot from the Shanghai Museum was included in the exhibition, Bronzes de la Chine antique du XVIII au III siecles avant J.C., Lyon, France, 4 October - 4 December 1988, no. 102. See, also, the similar gui sold at Sotheby's, New York, 22-23 September 2004, lot 110, and the two similar examples sold in these rooms, 28 March 1996, lot 263, and 19 September 2007, lot 204, formerly in the C. Ruxton Love Collection.

Lot 1263. An impressive bronze ritual tripod food vessel, ding, Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century BC; 7¾ in. (19.7 cm.) high. Estimate USD 80,000 - USD 120,000. Price realised USD 158,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010

The deep U-shaped body flat-cast around the sides with a band of three large taotie masks with rounded eyes reserved on a leiwen ground, each mask centered on a notched flange and separated by further flanges positioned above each columnar leg, with black inlay, with a pair of bail handles rising from the rim, with pale milky-green patina and encrustation, especially on the interior which is cast with a clan sign.

Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 26 June 1973, lot 37.

Note: The clan sign cast on the interior, zi (son), has been identified by some scholars with the clan name of the Shang royal house.

This well-cast, well-proportioned ding is related in form, style of flat-cast decoration, and traces of black inlay, to two ding in the Shanghai Museum, one of which is illustrated in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji - Shang, vol. 2, no. 2, Beijing, 1997, no. 29. The other Shanghai example was included in the exhibition, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Collection of the Shanghai Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1 February-3 April 1983, no. 5. Another very similar ding, which also appears to bear traces of black inlay, is illustrated by J. Pope et. al., The Freer Chinese Bronzes, vol. 1, Washington, 1967, no. 28 (60.18). The columnar legs of these three comparable ding, are all decorated with pendent blades below diagonal scroll bands, unlike the legs of the present vessel, which are undecorated

Lot 1266. A bronze ritual food vessel, gui, Early Western Zhou dynasty, 10th century BC; 9½ in. (24.1 cm.) across handles. Estimate USD 60,000 - USD 80,000. Price realised USD 158,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010.

Raised on a tall foot and with steep sides rising to a flared rim, cast around the body with a series of vertical ribs divided by a pair of handles issuing from bovine masks, between borders of alternating raised whorls and stylized taotie reserved on a leiwen ground, the upper band divided by a pair of taotie masks in high relief, the base of the interior cast with a five-character inscription, with some milky green and ferrous encrustation. 

Lot 1264. A bronze tripod ritual wine vessel, jue, Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century BC; 8 in. (20.3 cm.) high. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. Price realised USD 80,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010.

Raised on three blade-form supports, the sides cast with a band comprising two taotiemasks with rounded rectangular eyes centered on and separated by notched flanges, below a band of small blades with cicada and two large scroll-filled blades rising up under the spout and the opposite end, with a curved handle which issues from a bovine mask beneath capped posts rising from the rim, with overall mottled dark grey and pale green patina, two wood stands, Japanese wood box.

Lot 1265. A bronze ritual food vessel, yu, Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century BC; 9¾ in. (24.8 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 18,000 - USD 25,000. Price realised USD 52,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010.

The deep sides cast with a band of 'boss and diamond' pattern below a narrow band of six pairs of dragons shown in profile separated by three taotie masks cast in high relief, raised on a pedestal foot pierced with three oblong apertures above a band of further pairs of dragons centered by a narrow flange, the mottled patina with malachite, azurite and ferrous encrustation, wood stand, two Japanese wood boxes.

Provenance: Private Japanese collection, acquired in the 1920s.

Lot 1268. A bronze tripod ritual wine vessel, gu, Shang dynasty, 13th-12th century BC; 11 3/16 in. (28.4 cm.) high. Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. Price realised USD 35,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010.

With plain trumpet-form neck above a pair of bow-string bands, the rounded mid-section flat-cast with a band of two pairs of dragons with rounded eyes centered on a narrow flange and set between narrow bands of circles, above two further bow-string bands, the spreading foot cast in similar fashion with two pairs of confronted dragons, with overall mottled green patina and green and ferrous encrustation, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Private Japanese collection, acquired in the 1920s.

Lot 1269. A bronze tripod wine vessel, jia, Shang dynasty, early Anyang period, 13th-12th century BC; 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm.) high. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 20,000. Price realised USD 32,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010.

Raised on three blade-form supports, the sides flat-cast with a wide band of three taotiemasks positioned between the supports and with rounded eyes and a slender dividing flange, beneath a narrow band of stylized dragons, with a simple strap handle and a pair of rectangular posts with large conical caps cast with comma motifs, with malachite encrustation and a pale milky green patina, box.