The bar for bronzes is not price but provenance: excavation record, an old collection catalogue, an export licence — at least two of the three must be clear. Of this season's three vessels, two appear in Republican-era collection catalogues and one is supported only by photographs of its earlier owners.
Rubbing of each inscription is bound as a separate booklet with the catalogue, transcribed by a specialist, with any disagreement against the vessel itself noted separately.



