Ritual wine container (hu) with masks (taotie) and dragons

Object Details

• Description

  Bronze ceremonial vessel, type hu [Ch]. Decoration cast in high and low relief in six registers. Silvery patination with green inscrustations. Shape ovoid in section with swelling body and slightly flaring mouth and foot. Handles in shape of bovine heads.

• Previous custodian or owner

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

• Provenance

  From 1947 to 1948

  C. T. Loo & Company, New York, from at least May 6, 1947 [1]

  From 1948

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on June 21, 1948 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See C. T. Loo's stockcard no. 87520: "Bronze ritual vessel large "HU" on a high oval rim foot. Silvery and rough green patina. SHANG," C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file. According to an annotation on the stockcard, the bronze was imported from China in 1947. On May 6, 1947, it was taken by Loo to the Freer Gallery for examination.

  [2] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated June 21, 1948, copy in object file.

• Origin

  Anyang, probably Henan province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Sackler Gallery 24a: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Name

  C.T. Loo & Company

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE), Masks

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes