Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hu wine vessel

China

Date

5th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This storage vessel is one of an important group of hunting-scene hu. They show the influence of the nomadic art of China’s northern frontier. The four major bands depict men hunting birds, deer, boar, and tiger while the panels on the vessel’s shoulders show an archer shooting from a chariot—scenes of human activity that represent a revolutionary departure in bronze art. Previously, during the Shang and Zhou periods, sacred symbols and stylized animals were formally arranged with regard to hierarchy and strict symmetry. The subject here appears secular rather than religious. Asia

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