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The most common decorative motif on Shang and early Western Zhou ritual bronzes is a stylized animal “mask” (taotie) with bulging eyes and curved horns. These masks are typically composed of two confronted profiles of the same animal.
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商 青銅方鼎
Title: Rectangular cauldron (Fangding)
Period: Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–1046 BCE)
Date: 12th–11th century BCE
Culture: China
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: H. 9 in. (22.9 cm); W. 6 in. (15.2 cm); D. 7 in. (17.8 cm)
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Bequest of Addie W. Kahn, 1949
Accession Number: 49.135.2
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