A Chinese bronze wine vessel and cover, gui late Western Zhou dynasty (c.1100-771 BC), the ovoid body with concave ridges and with loose animal mask handles to the shoulder, raised on a flared foot supported by three feet, the domed cover with a large circular finial, an inscription to the underside which is mirrored in the base's interior which reads wei sheng zuo bao zun gui, wei sheng qi shou kao wan, nian zi sun yong bao yong (the ruler had this precious wine vessel made. May his sons and grandsons make eternal and precious use of it for a thousand years), 29.5cm. (2)

Provenance: purchased from Christie's, c.1980.

Cf. C Deydier, Chinese Bronzes, p.223, no.52, for a comparable example in the Ashmolean Museum.