About this artwork
This elegantly dignified vessel displays the taut, slender profile and crisply cast surface decoration that distinguishes the finest bronzes made for late Shang royalty. Long tapered blades above a band of serpents encircle the wide, trumpet-mouthed neck. Monster masks (taotie) with angular horns surround the middle section. All motifs are organized in clearly defined quadrants, which are divided by striated flanges and reserved against a background of finely squared spirals.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 131
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Department
- Arts of Asia
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Title
- Beaker
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Place
- China (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1600 BCE–1050 BCE
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Medium
- Bronze
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Dimensions
- 31.2 × 17.5 cm (12 1/4 × 6 7/8 in.); Diam.: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection
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Reference Number
- 1937.2
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/109223/manifest.json