Cleveland Museum of Art

Wine Vessel (Hu)

Date

early 400s BCE

Medium

bronze with gold inlay

Culture

China, Warring States period (475–221 BCE)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

By the time this wine vessel was cast, bronzes were increasingly losing their ritual significance and becoming symbols of prestige and conspicuous consumption. This globular jar ( hu ) reflects the splendor and luxury of the time. The jar is decorated with free-flowing scrollwork and interlaced zoomorphic motifs. Cast depressions were first made on the bronze surface and then inlaid with gold. A graceful fluidity is achieved by the many sweeping lines, curves, and tendril-like networks covering the round body.

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