GUANGXU PERIOD (1875-1908)

A bronze gui vessel with similar decoration and shape in the Palace Museum collection, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 27 - Bronze Ritual Vessels and Musical Instruments, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 44, p. 72 The four-character mark, Tao Zhai fa bao, may be translated as 'the magical weapon of Tao Zhai'. Tao Zhai is the art-name of Tao Duanfang (1861-1911). For a discussion of Duanfang, see lot 1603.