Gui food vessel

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The ceremonial food vessel known as the gui played a central role in ancient rituals where grain offerings were made. As one of the essential items in ritual paraphernalia, it often paired with the ding, another type of food vessel. Dating back to the Anyang period of the Shang dynasty (circa 1300-1046 BCE), the gui evolved into numerous variations over time. Characterized by its wide mouth and bowl-shaped body adorned with C-shaped handles, this typical Western Zhou gui features a flange at its center that forms the base of a taotie animal mask. The handles themselves are crowned with horned animal heads, while bird wings carved in flat-band relief on the bow add to the illusion of an animal head with a bird's body.