A CHINESE DOCUMENTARY BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL, GUI. Ming Dynasty, 15th to 17th Century.Raised on four paw feet issuing from taotie masks, the compressed globular body cast with horizontal bands between a band of taotie masks and mythical beasts against a leiwen ground, set to each side by a mythical beast head mask issuing loop handles, inscribed to base Da De yuan nian, longxinglu xue, jingshou Yao Gengsun, tidiao ruxue ti ju si guan zongguan Chen Yuankai (made in the first year of the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty [1426] at Longxing Road to commemorate the nomination of Chen Yuankai to the position of head of Confucian studies at the Confucian Institute by Official Yao Gengsun), wood box. (2)19cm H.2kg.明十五至十七世紀 銅饕餮紋簋連木蓋，《大德元年龍興路學，教授，姚燈孫，提調儒學提舉司官總管陳元凱》題字