Hu Flask with Standing Bird and Flowers

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This flask was discovered at Tomb M1, part of the Shan-biao-zhen site, forming a pair with R018571. The flask features a narrow neck and a rounded body, giving it an overall sense of balance and proportion. The lid of the flask is adorned with an openwork design of a standing bird surrounded by eight petals of a lotus flower. A pair of handles on either side of the flask are positioned in the mouths of animal masks. The body of the flask bears eight bands of coiled dragon patterns, with four-leaf patterns filling in the spaces between each dragon. This flask was produced using the piece-mold casting technique. The decorative patterns on the flask were created using the stamp-mold technique, resulting in some overlapping prints. Research indicates that Tomb M1 of the Shan-piao-chen site is a burial of the Jin State; the bronze wares from this site exhibit balance and style consistency with those produced by the Hou-ma bronze foundry.