Ritual vessel (you) and cover

Object Details

• Description

  Ceremonial vessel of the type "yu," with cover.

  Surface: a variable green patina over gold bronze; earth incrusted.

  Decoration: in low relief and delicate linear relief. Inscriptions inside of the vessel and the cover.

• Inscriptions

  "Translation by Mr. S. Tang:

  'The object is called "yew." The inscription on its cover and the bottom of the receptacle are the same but in different form and position.

  There are seven inscriptions on the cover and also on the bottom, which are given in Chinese characters in the original translation.

  The figures 1, 2, and 3 are common letters in this kind of receptacles at Shang dynasty, and mean hand down to the son and grand son, in other words, hereditary. Numbers 4, 5, mean father and K'ai. They are also common. They are interpreted by scholars as for the father 'K'ai.' The word 'K'ai' is one of the Shih-Kan, ten honorary and astronomical characters. All the Emperors in Shang dynasty called themselves one of these words, so they engraved their names, in this manner, to the bronzes of that period.

  Number 6 means woman. We find most of this kind of bronzes bear the word son, which is interpreted as the son who made this object for his father. We also find in other objects, which bear the word woman as interpreted to have been made by woman.

  So this jar may have been made by a princess as an offering to the temple of her ancestors.

  Number 7 is doubtful. It looks like the word "ye," the name of this object being abbreviated. The inscriptions always say what "ye" and the word "yi" is afterwards abbreviated, but I am not certain about this case.

  Number 7 is doubtful. It looks like the word "ye," the name of this object being abbreviated. The inscriptions always say what "ye" and the word "yi" is afterwards abbreviated, but I am not certain about this case.

• Provenance

  To 1911

  Li Wenqing (circa 1869-1931), Shanghai to 1911 [1]

  From 1911 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Li Wenqing in 1911 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Bronze List, S.I. 192, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Li Wenqing 李文卿 (ca. 1869-1931) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s, BCE 1000s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Li, Wenqing

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Bronze, Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE), Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Sculpture, Chinese Art, Metal-work

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)