Ritual wine vessel (zun)

It seems that by the end of the Shang dynasty the only type of non-zoomorphic zun still in existence was the stout, squat, cylindrical vessel which is akin to the gu. This vessel is a prime example of the kind. Its trumpet and foot are plain, except for a couple of bowstrings. Conversely, the bulging central part is filled with a continuous decor in fairly high relief on a plain background. The design consists of two large, shielded taotie masks flanked by elaborately crested and taloned birds. Shown in profile and rendered with almost calligraphic liveliness, these birds stand in vivid contrast to the frontal, static, taotie masks and foreshadow the gyrating birds of future generations. As such they are typical of the nascent Early Western Zhou style.

The upper part of the inscription cast on the bottom of the container is too eroded for proper reading. The lower part consists of the two characters Fu Xin for Father Xin (a posthumous appellation).