COLLECTION NAME:
National Palace English
Record
Work ID:
M01B00036
Title:
Bronze Gui vessel with Men Zu Ding inscription
Creation Date:
Late Shang and Early Zhou Dynasty
Start Year Date:
B.C.1321
End Year Date:
B.C.950
Dynasty:
05 Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 ~1100 B.C.)
Dynasty:
06 Zhou Dynasty (c. 1100 ~ 256 B.C.)
Creation Place:
China
Measurements:
Height: 18.5 cm; Weight: 3890g
Material:
Bronze
Form:
Gui (food container)
Type:
Bronzes
Repository:
The National Palace Museum, Taipei
Description:
This is a gui without handles. The majority of gui from the late Shang has a pair of handles, and these vessels are used to hold rice. This bronze quality of this vessel is solid, refined, and weighty. Gently knocking it produces a deep and sonorous sound.The belly takes up the diamond-and-boss decoration with bosses in especially high relief. The neck below the rim is decorated with gui-dragons, with each pair of dragons facing each other. In the center is a tiger's head in high relief, and the ring foot is decorated with tiger patterns identifiable from the shape of the tigers' ears.There are three characters inscribed in the center of the inside of its belly. The first character is in the shape of two doors, and is transcribed men, which is the clan sign, highly likely of the officials responsible for building doors in the Shang dynasty. Many Chinese last names from Shang originated from the professions. Therefore in this case men is also used as a last name. Below the family name are two characters transcribed zu and ding. The inscription indicates that this ritual vessel is made by the men family for their ancestor ding.
ImageV ID:
M01B00036AS003
Rights:
Lee & Lee Communications