口徑：15.6厘米 （6 1⁄8 吋） 通高：14厘米 （5 1⁄2 吋）Diam. at mouth： 15.6 cm （6 1⁄8 in.） Overall height： 14 cm （5 1⁄2 in.）

Literature：
Shanghai Museum， The Legacy of Chu Chong-yee： Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Jiu Ru Yuan Collection， Shanghai， Shanghai Cishu Press， 2017 ， no. 39
Provenance：
Collection of Chu’s Jiu Ru Yuan，acquired in the 1980s， Hong Kong

Supported by three slender hoof-shaped legs， this cooking vessel has a round mouth and a shallow belly， forming a compressed sphere together with the convex lid. The knob of the lid is made up of three relief animal heads surmounting a raised ring. Around it are three friezes of densely packed coiled serpents that are separated by two undecorated ones. Projecting from the central band are three equidistant upright rings. In contrast to the undecorated lower part， the upper part of the belly， with a ring on either side and a relief animal head on the front and the back， is densely covered in coiled serpents that correspond with those on the lid. Mould join marks are found on the belly and a circular one on the base.

Although relatively small in size especially in the legs， the vessel stands out for its painstaking decorations. The alignment of the animal-head reliefs and rings are staggered out of both utilitarian and aesthetical considerations.

Price estimate:
HKD: 30,000 - 50,000
USD: 3,900 - 6,500

Auction Result:
HKD: 118,000