Bucket with Swing Handle

Western Zhou dynasty ( 1046–771 BC ), 1000/950 BCdd

China

The handled bucket is described in ancient texts as a vessel for carrying wine. This vessel’s gently sagging profile is sparsely decorated—dragons with detached, hooked trunks are confined to narrow bands around the neck and lid. Contrasting with these abstract designs are more naturalistic rams’ heads at the neck and on the handles, which are sculpted in the round. Such realistic animals appeared as secondary motifs on Shang bronzes but became more prominent during the Western Zhou.

Identical inscriptions are cast inside the bucket and lid: Zi Fu Geng [made for Father Geng of the Zi family]

Status: On View, Gallery 131
Department: Arts of Asia

Title: Bucket with Swing Handle
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.: 1000 BCE–950 BCE
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 30.8 × 25.1 cm (12 3/16 × 9 7/8 in.)
Credit Line: Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection
Reference Number: 1927.602
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/34873/manifest.json

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.

Suggested Terms

See all hours

On View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Title

Place

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.

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

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.

Extended information about this artwork

Share

Explore Further

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share

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.