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Bird-Shaped Container (zun)

A work made of bronze.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of bronze.

Date:

Late Shang dynasty (13th century–1046 B.C.)

Artist:

China

About this artwork

Animal-shaped vessels are the rarest of all Shang ritual bronzes. This creature is a fascinating blend of alert poise and solemn dignity. Whereas the scaled pattern on the neck and tail of this bird suggests feathers, other details are fantastic rather than anatomical. A dragon in profile and a coiled serpent embellish each wing; monster masks crown the head as well as the removable lid on the bird’s back.

Status

On View, Gallery 131

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Bird-Shaped Container (zun)

Place

China (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1200 BCE–1046 BCE

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

15.9 × 13.3 × 5.7 cm (6 1/4 × 5 1/4 × 2 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1936.139

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/58159/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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