Author(s):
anonymous, founder
date of production: between -1050 and -771
type(s) of object(s): china, metal, metal arts, beliefs - customs - cults - ceremonies
name(s): religious object, vase
materials and techniques: bronze, cast iron, mold casting
place(s) of execution/realization: china
dimensions - artwork:
height: 49. 7cm
length: 34. 5cm
description:
this vessel for storing fermented drinks belongs to a very small group of lei, discovered in sites as far apart as beido (or baidong), in the mongol autonomous district of the left wing of the harqin banner, in liaoning, or zhuwajie, in the peng district, in sichuan. These pieces all have the same characteristics. Four taotie masks are placed laterally on the lower part of the belly and not axially in relation to the handles as was systematically encountered in the shang period. Four characteristic creatures with curved trunks, sometimes identified as elephants, decorate the upper part. The lid takes the shape of a mythical saurian coiled on itself. An apocryphal inscription on the inside edge of the collar of the lei of the cernuschi museum once raised doubts about its authenticity. In light of recent excavations, all specialists now consider it ancient and particularly rare. Marks, inscriptions, hallmarks:
registration
themes / subjects / places represented:
taotie, elephant, monster
mode of acquisition: legacy
name of donor, testator, seller: cernuschi, henri
date of acquisition: 1896
institution: cernuschi museum, museum of asian arts of the city of paris
inventory number: m. C. 440. Date: Entre -1050 et -771.
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