Minneapolis Institute of Art

Tripod ewer

Erlitou artist

Date

c. 2000–1500 BCE

Medium

Earthenware with incised decor

Culture

Erlitou culture

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Bronze Age succeeded the Neolithic or Stone Age during the second millenium BCE in the Yellow River region of north China. The Erlitou culture with its site near Luoyang in Henan province dating between 2000 and 1500 BCE, has yielded the earliest bronze vessels in China as well as pottery vessels modeled on bronze prototypes. The overall design of this elegant, thin walled, pouring vessel, including its pointed hollow tripod legs, wide, flat handle with incised surface decoration, and domed cover with cut-out spout is typical of ceramics excavated at Erlitou sites in the middle region of the Yellow River. While metal prototypes for such a work are presumed, no exact bronze prototype has yet been excavated. Asia

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