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Wine Container

A work made of bronze.
Public Domain

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  • A work made of bronze.

Date:

Western Zhou dynasty ( 1046–771 BC ), late 11th century BC

Artist:

China

About this artwork

The bulging, curvilinear silhouette of this house-shaped wine container is emphasized by prominent, hooked flanges, which also accent the surface divisions created by sectional mold casting. The elements of surface decoration—high relief monster (taotie) masks, crested and plumed birds, and dragons with reverted heads are extravagantly shaped: Fringes with elaborate hooks and quills, their curves and coils extend and replicate to symmetrically fill the divided panels of the body and lid.

Identical dedicatory inscriptions cast within the interior of the base and lid read: “Rong zi [Son of Rong] made [this] precious sacrificial vessel.” Such inscriptions, studied as historical documents as well as calligraphic art, contribute to our understanding of the chronology and patronage of ancient Chinese bronzes.

Status

On View, Gallery 131

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Wine Container

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.

1099 BCE–1000 BCE

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

32.8 × 18.4 × 14.4 cm (12 7/8 × 7 1/8 × 5 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1932.971

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/12634/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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