The Chinese Bronze Collection comprises a group of archaic ritual bronzes spanning the Western and Eastern Zhou dynasties — works produced in the centuries when Chinese bronze casting reached its technical and artistic zenith, and when the ritual vessel was the primary medium of elite religious and social expression.
A pair of Western Zhou bronze perfumers (c. 1111–770 BCE) survive in their original burial condition. The pierced openwork bodies are decorated with serpentine dragons and taotieh masks with curling argali-horn motifs; the rims carry geometric patterns related to the cloud-phoenix ornament of Chu lacquerware. Traces of organic matter recovered from both objects — cloth, bamboo strips, red pigment — are consistent with northern Chinese tomb interment practice of the period. Both objects have undergone surface examination, mineralogical analysis, and metallographic study. The complex corrosion profiles, including unusual lead-oxide mineralogy and gypsum formations associated specifically with Shanxi-region burials, are consistent with long-term natural processes and could not have been artificially produced.
A pair of Eastern Zhou lidded jian (c. 770–256 BCE) are extensively decorated with intertwined dragons, tiger finials, and mask-and-ring lug handles. Radiographic examination revealed a thirty-one character inscription in archaic Chinese — previously undetected — incised on the interiors of all four vessel parts. Translated by a specialist in pre-Han inscriptions, the text is a dedication invoking longevity for the patron and his lineage: May his sons and grandsons forever treasure and use it. Metallographic analysis by Oxford Materials placed the alloy composition and impurity patterns firmly within the range of authentic Eastern Zhou bronzes, specifically the Warring States period. A closely comparable vessel is in the Arthur M. Sackler Collection.
Our client is in posession of further archiac bronzes beyond those described here. Details are available upon inquiry.
Formal authentication reports are available to qualified parties upon inquiry.