Help with some kind of teapot(?)

I picked this up at a little antique shop. The lady didn't know much about it, but we thought it was cool. It's got me corn-fused! It's not magnetic and by the condition it looks like it was under water? Picked it up in Cape Cod.

 

Shang ritual vessel, presumably a replica or a fantasy creation thereof.

 

Dude...youre amazing. I assumed it was a replica, but on the off chance it's not. Is there dead giveaways that say it's a recreation? Thanks

 

Only if it was real. look at this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ARCHAIC-BRO...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

When it is trying too hard to look old, this one is trying extremely hard. When the verdigris, that green patina, is too rough and too uniform in colour. When it is not entirely consistent with the style. When the weight and manufacturing technique aren't right.
It is extremely rare to find genuine Shang bronzes. Most 'Shang' is made in the style of, just because it is beautiful. This one was made to deceive, a product of the fakes market.
If a genuine Shang bronze were to turn up in a little antique shop, the owner would rush to sell it through one of the big international auction houses.
Here you can see natural aging on Shang bronzes:
https://nordonart.wordpress.com/201...ing-asia-week-part-3-archaic-chinese-bronzes/
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions...hinese-ceramics-works-art-l15210/lot.103.html

 

Too cute is another red flag. That bird beak seems to be squawking "Buy Me!" to a foreign tourist. And there weren't many foreign tourists in Shang China.

 

Lol...That's what I thought. We didn't buy in hopes it was a hidden treasure, but because we always try to buy some unusual "antigue...ish" item on vacation. Thanks for the help.