Ritual wine warmer (jue)

Object Details

• Description

  Decorations cast in low relief and intaglio; single character inscription under handle; handle broken and repaired. Grey-green malachite patina with touches of azurite inside and cuprite in the fossae.

• Provenance

  By 1955-1956

  Warren E. Cox Associates, New York, New York, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 1956

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Warren E. Cox Associates, New York, New York [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See letter from Warren E. Cox (1895-1976) to Mr. Archibald G. Wenley (1898-1962), December 13, 1955, copy in object file. The letter reports that Cox sent the "small bronze" with the Freer Gallery of Art's curator, Richard Ettinghausen (1906-1979), for Wenley to inspect.

  [2] See invoice from Warren E. Cox Associates to Freer Gallery of Art, July 6, 1956, copy in object file. Warren E. Cox Associates describes the object as "XM-1377 Shang dynasty bronze chüeh." The invoice is annotated, indicating that the Freer Gallery of Art purchased the object on July 10, 1956.

  Research Completed on March 17, 2022

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)

  Chinese Art (March 15, 1982 to June 15, 1982)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  Chinese Bronze, Jade, Marble (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Warren E. Cox & Associates, Inc.

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Name

  Warren E. Cox & Associates, Inc.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Bronze, Art, Animals, Inscriptions, Sculpture, Chinese Art, Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE), Masks, Metal-work

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)