ji gu

[Subbird out of halberd and goblet]

Subbird out of halberd and goblet, late Shang Dynasty, height 26.5 cm, caliber 15 cm, bottom diameter 8 cm
The goblet bell mouth, the waist and the lower part are decorated with halberds, which encircle the feet. The shape of the vessel is tall and slender, and the central part is obviously shrunk, which has the obvious characteristics of the copper goblet in the late Shang Dynasty. There are many fine patterns on the body of the Gu, which are divided into four layers from top to bottom: the neck is decorated with the popular banana leaf patterns of the era; The lower end of the neck is decorated with snake patterns, with wide head and prominent eyes. This pattern is popular in the middle and late Shang Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period; The waist and below are decorated with two layers of animal face patterns, showing the unique nobility of ritual vessels. There is a graphic inscription at the bottom, which is interpreted as “Yaniao”, hence the name of this Gu. The graphic inscription is the emblem of a family at that time
Bronze Gu appeared in the early Shang Dynasty, prevailed in the middle and late Shang Dynasty, and gradually decreased in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. According to “The Book of Rites of Dadai · Zeng Zi’s Parents”, “hold the cup, the goblet, the cup and the bean without getting drunk.” The goblet is the most basic drinking utensil, which is often unearthed in groups with the cup and the wine, indicating that the goblet is mostly used together with the cup and the wine in the ritual system.