Late-Early Western Zhou Dynasty, circa 12th – 11th century BC The body is bulbous in form raised with three column-like supports with taotie masks with rounded, evil watching eyes, and cast with raised relief on the upper section of the body with a register of kui dragons, with stylised elongated bodies confronted on and separated by two flanges, held by a U-shaped handle rising from the rim. These forms of powerful bronze ritual vessels were a highly prized possession of important members of Chinese society, used on an altar to disband rites to their ancestors to gain favour and positive luck away from evil. For similar style see: A. Martin, “American Mandarin,” Connoisseur, November 1984, p. 99. Size: L:225mm / W:208mm; 2kg Provenance: Private collection of a London doctor; formerly in a Somerset Estate collection; acquired from Hong Kong galleries in the early 1990s.