Vase gui 簋, M.C. 8809(2)

Author(s): anonymous, founder date of production: between -899 and -700 type(s) of object(s): china, metal, metal arts, archaeology, beliefs - customs - cults - ceremonies name(s): tableware and kitchen utensils, vase, religious object materials and techniques: bronze, mold casting place(s) of execution/realization: china dimensions - artwork: height: 26. 4cm length: 44. 9cm description: the container, bulging towards the bottom, has two large handles in the shape of a dragon, with finned ears, swallowing a bird of which only the bottom of the wings can be seen. At the end of the western zhou dynasty, certain mistletoe like this one were attached to large parallelepiped bases. The clearly recognizable animal decoration, heir to the theme of the shang period in use at the beginning of the zhou dynasty, was followed in the 9th century by a new vocabulary made of slightly projecting geometric motifs, standing out against a bare background, only very distantly evoking their zoomorphic origin. Here, wide ribbons undulating like waves delimit large triangles containing purely ornamental elements, the latest avatars of the animal masks of the previous era. It is the same with the scrolled motifs of the frieze of the pass, distant echoes of the dragons that we readily encountered in this place before. Marks, inscriptions, hallmarks: registration mode of acquisition: purchase date of acquisition: 10–1957 institution: cernuschi museum, museum of asian arts of the city of paris inventory number: m. C. 8809. Date: Entre -899 et -700.