Boot-shaped Bronze Vessel with Curved Edge from Spring & Autumn and Warring States Period

This boot-shaped vessel is one variety of the bronze yue, which, according to the mainstream scholarly view, was a ritual vessel symbolizing the power of emperors, which was developed based on the shape of an axe-like weapon.
It has a hollow cylinder handle, with an oval cross section composed with two holes in different sizes, in which sludge can still be found. The handle is also equipped with two ears, one of which extends a strip until it touches the body of the vessel. In a crescent when looked from the side, this bronze vessel has both sides embellished with two leaf patterns. But the two leaves, with different details on veins, also lie in different directions on the two sides, the ones on one side extending towards the handle while those on the other towards the edge.