WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, CIRCA 10TH-9TH CENTURY BC

The present ladle is remarkable for the complexity of its cast decoration. The terminal of the arched handle is rendered in openwork as a scaled dragon confronting a bird shown in profile; the bird’s tail ends in a dragon head from which a raised median ridge continues along the handle. A bovine mask is cast at the junction of the handle and the deep bowl. Only a small number of closely related ladles are known, and include the example illustrated in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji, vol. 3, Shang (3), Beijing, 1997, p. 166, no. 166; one from the Stoclet Collection, illustrated by H. F. E. Visser in Asiatic Art (New York/Amsterdam), 1948, pl. 36, no. 37; and another, formerly in the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 18 March 2009, lot 226.