Hu Vase
Datecirca 1st century B.C.E.
MediumCast bronze
DimensionsHeight: 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm)
Diameter of mouth: 1-5/8 in. (4.2 cm)
Diameter of mouth: 1-5/8 in. (4.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Geraldine Schmitt-Poor and Dr. Robert J. Poor
Object number1994.105
Status
Not on viewThe tradition of ritual vessels used in ancestral rites was established during the Shang dynasty and continued in later dynasties. Modest in size an ornament, this vessel may have been used in the owner’s lifetime. The costly bronze also implies the owner’s wealth.
The pair of animal-headed handles are a late manifestation of the taotie animal masks of the early Bronze Age and demonstrate the conservative nature of the ornamental vocabulary of ritual vessels. However, the fluid overall shape, curved surfaces, and pronounced lip and foot reflect contemporary Han taste.
circa 2nd century B.C.E.
17th - 18th century?
19th century (possibly late)
circa 1st century B.C.E.
206 B.C.E. - 220
circa 2500 - 2200 B.C.E.
206 B.C.E. - 8 C.E.
