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Covered ritual wine vessel (gong)
Covered ritual wine vessel (gong)

Covered ritual wine vessel (gong)

Place of OriginChina
Dateapprox. 1050-900 BCE
PeriodWestern Zhou period (approx. 1050–771 BCE)
MaterialsBronze
DimensionsH. 12 in x W. 13 1/2 in x D. 5 1/4 in, H. 31.8 cm x W. 38.1 cm x D. 13.3 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60B1004
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsMetal Arts
On View
On view
LocationGallery 14
InscribedThe inside of the cover and the bottom of the body bear two nearly identical cast-in, twelve-graph inscriptions. The inscription of the cover, the more legible of the two, reads: Second son Qi X made for esteemed and accomplished Father ding (this) sacrificial vessel. Follows a clan sign including the picture of a bird.
More Information

Bronze Decoration of the Western Zhou Period

There was a riot of new types of decoration at the beginning of the Western Zhou period, as the leaders attempted to find their own artistic and ritual vocabulary. The pieces in this case show various solutions to these issues. Some are heavily ornamented with taotie (a kind of mythical animal) masks, dragons, birds, and large, heavy flanges; others have no surface decoration. It is hard to imagine that these pieces were made at approximately the same time by the same culture.