Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Wine Container (Hu) with Mythical Bird
Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Not on view
Known as hu or zhong, globular vessels such as this one were used most frequently as wine containers. The massive size of this example renders it one of the largest of its kind known to date. More important, however, were its contents at the time of its discovery: 26 liters of a green liquid, well preserved on account of the tightly closed lid. The liquid included 0.1% alcohol along with minor amounts of other materials commonly found in Chinese wine, confirming textual records of the vessel’s function as a wine container
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