Minneapolis Institute of Art

Jue wine vessel

China

Date

16th-15th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This wine vessel is from the Erligang culture, which flourished during the early Shang period, near the beginning of the Chinese Bronze Age. Its plainness may reflect the relative newness of bronze casting technology; artisans were still figuring out the basics. Archaeological research shows that the jue is the earliest ritual wine vessel form, developed about 1700–1600 bce. Originally based on the style of existing pottery vessels, the form rapidly evolved toward an aesthetic based entirely on cast-bronze principles, and this vessel demonstrates the primitive technology and awkward proportions of the first ceremonial bronzes. China, Asia

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