Cast guest fou

[Zhuke Fou]

Zhuke Fou, in the late Warring States Period, was 46.9 cm in height, 46 cm in width, 18.4 cm in diameter and 16.22 kg in weight
Fou has a small mouth, a short neck, a large belly, four rings cast on the shoulder, and a round foot. There are 9 inscriptions on the outside of the mouth of the vessel:
“The caster is the queen of the six chambers”
It is recorded that the foreign smelting and casting craftsman (caster) made this Fou for the queen’s six rooms
Fou is a utensil for holding wine. Shuowen: “Fou is a earthen vessel. So it is used to hold liquor”. Fou was popular during the Warring States Period. In the early stage, Fou was nearly round in shape, with low round feet, no protruding neck, a small mouth covered, four detachable ring buttons on the cover, a pair of nose piercing in front of and behind the abdominal wall, and a set of lifting chains on both sides. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the shape of Fou was basically the same as that of the early stage, but instead of lifting the chain, the first ear of the animal appeared with an extended neck, showing the trend of “pot” shape. In the late Warring States period, most of them were round fous shaped like “pots”, with buttons on the lid and a nose on the abdomen. It is very important to distinguish fou from kettle. It is very important to see whether it has a piercing nose. Fou has been unearthed in both northern and southern regions, but it is more common in the tombs of Chu, Cai and Zeng. Zhuke Fou was unearthed in the tomb of the King Youwang of Chu during the Warring States Period.

铸客缶铭文拓片