Grain serving vessel (gui)

early 9th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 207
This vessel is notable in that all of the ornamental decoration—except for the animal head handles—has been stripped away in favor of a bold design of horizontal fluting. The same twelve-character inscription is cast on the interiors of the vessel and its lid: “The Earl of San made this precious gui for Ji of Zhe. May it be perpetually used for tens and thousands of years.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 西周 青銅簋
  • Title: Grain serving vessel (gui)
  • Period: Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE)
  • Date: early 9th century BCE
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: H. 9 in. (22.9 cm); W. 13 in. (33 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Charlotte C. and John C. Weber Collection, Gift of Charlotte C. and John C. Weber through the Live Oak Foundation, 1988
  • Object Number: 1988.20.3a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Grain serving vessel (gui) - China - Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE) - The Metropolitan Museum of Art