He wine vessel

myminifactory

The wine container is a vintage vessel type that originated as far back as the Erlitou period, dating from the 17th century BCE. During the late Shang dynasty (c. 1300–1046 BCE), its shape evolved—its rounded body, with narrow neck and spout, was supported by three sturdy legs, as seen in this example. The vessel displays an inscription identifying that it was cast by “Shi” in honor of his father, “Gui.” Recent archaeological discoveries have confirmed that all bronzes bearing the “Shi” inscription were cast during the late Shang and early Western Zhou periods. The vessel's main body features a decorative motif consisting of rows of scales in flat, double-band relief. It is widely acknowledged that by the mid–Western Zhou period (c. 976–886 BCE) Chinese bronze art began a process of stylistic transformation from that of the declining Shang to that of the distinct Western Zhou. Such change is marked by the replacement of taotie masks with patterned decoration. This vessel, however, demonstrates that in the early Western Zhou, the new decorative trend had already taken hold.