Ritual wine container (zun) with masks (taotie)

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 3
IIIF

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At A Glance

On View
  • Period

    ca. 1100-1050 BCE
  • Geography

    Anyang, probably Henan province, China
  • Material

    Bronze
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 29.7 × 23.1 cm (11 11/16 × 9 1/8 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1944.1
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1944.1

Object Details

  • Description

    Ceremonial vessel, type zun. Light green patina. Traces of reddish and black pigments in the design. Incrustations of cuprite and azurite inside. Inscribed on the bottom of the interior, Ya Mo Quan Fu Ding 亚莫犬(獏)父丁 (“Deputy Officer of the Hounds [for the Royal Hunting Grounds] at Mo (made for) Deceased Father Ding”).
  • Previous custodian or owner

    C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)
  • Provenance

    From 1941 to 1943
    C. T. Loo & Company, New York from November 1941 [1]
    From 1943
    Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on December 8, 1943 [2]
    Notes:
    [1] See C. T. Loo's stockcard no. 87477: "Bronze Tsun relief [masks]. Shang," C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file.
    [2] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated December 8, 1943, copy in object file.
  • Origin

    Anyang, probably Henan province, China
  • Credit Line

    Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
  • Type

    Vessel
  • On View

    Sackler Gallery 24c: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings
  • Restrictions and Rights

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