Period:Yuan dynasty Production date:1260-1368
Materials:bronze
Technique:cast
Subjects:religious object dragon taotie
Dimensions:Height: 25.70 centimetres
Description:
Cast bronze altar-vessel. Hu shaped with two lugs, decorated with bands of stylized taotie and dragon.
IMG
![图片[1]-altar-vessel BM-1989-0309.1-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/Yuan dynasty/Bronzes/mid_00208326_001.jpg)
![图片[2]-altar-vessel BM-1989-0309.1-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/Yuan dynasty/Bronzes/mid_00309750_001.jpg)
Comments:Jones 1990Chinese altar vessel of the 12th to 14th century AD, imitating a ritual vessel of about 1100 BC.[Information relating to registration nos.1956,1016.1 (a) and 1989,0309.1 (b)] Under the Song Emperor Huizong (r. AD 1101-25), ancient bronze ritual vessels were deliberately collected as models for new bronzes to be employed on altars for the Imperial sacrifices to Heaven. Similar copies of ancient bronzes were also used on household altars or in small temples. The older of these two bronze vessels (a) is a sacrificial wine vessel, known as a hu, the Shang period (c. 1100 BC). The later vessel (b) copies the oval cross-section and s-curved profile accurately and like the original carries two lugs. Although difficult to read, the design on the later bronze includes a monster face around the main part of the body which emulates faces, later known as taotie, on ancient pieces. The Shang hu type would originally have had a lid. However, later bronze-casters probably did not know this, and none of the surviving copies have lids. The lid was in keeping with the ancient function of this vessel type as a flask for wine in the ceremonies in which food and wine were offered to ancestors. It would have conflicted with the later function of such vessels, which was to hold flowers.
Materials:bronze
Technique:cast
Subjects:religious object dragon taotie
Dimensions:Height: 25.70 centimetres
Description:
Cast bronze altar-vessel. Hu shaped with two lugs, decorated with bands of stylized taotie and dragon.
IMG
Comments:Jones 1990Chinese altar vessel of the 12th to 14th century AD, imitating a ritual vessel of about 1100 BC.[Information relating to registration nos.1956,1016.1 (a) and 1989,0309.1 (b)] Under the Song Emperor Huizong (r. AD 1101-25), ancient bronze ritual vessels were deliberately collected as models for new bronzes to be employed on altars for the Imperial sacrifices to Heaven. Similar copies of ancient bronzes were also used on household altars or in small temples. The older of these two bronze vessels (a) is a sacrificial wine vessel, known as a hu, the Shang period (c. 1100 BC). The later vessel (b) copies the oval cross-section and s-curved profile accurately and like the original carries two lugs. Although difficult to read, the design on the later bronze includes a monster face around the main part of the body which emulates faces, later known as taotie, on ancient pieces. The Shang hu type would originally have had a lid. However, later bronze-casters probably did not know this, and none of the surviving copies have lids. The lid was in keeping with the ancient function of this vessel type as a flask for wine in the ceremonies in which food and wine were offered to ancestors. It would have conflicted with the later function of such vessels, which was to hold flowers.
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