Art Institute of Chicago

Grain Vessel (Gui)

China

Date

Late Shang/early Western Zhou dynasty, 11th century B.C.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

China

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

A monster mask ( taotie ) spreads boldly across this vessel, conforming to its bulging contour. While showing some stylistic features of slightly earlier manufacture, this vessel's heavy handles and the spiny dragons beneath the mouth rim are characteristic of bronzes of the early Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1050-771 B.C.). The cruciform emblem enclosing the top character of the inscription is read ya . This emblem is thought to bear some relation to family names, although its exact meaning remains problematic.

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