These bronze pieces were once housed and displayed at 7 Chelsea Embankment, the home of avid Chinese, Korean and Near Eastern art collector George Eumofopulos.
Though he had intended to bequeath the collection to the nation, the Depression of the 1930s forced him instead to sell it to the nation at a preferential rate. The bronzes are representative specimens of the Shan-Yin (1766-1122 BC) and Chou (1122-249 BC ) periods. The Chou bronze wine vessel illustrated is in the shape of an owl.