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Wine Retriever

2nd century BC
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This extraordinary vessel was unearthed from the kitchen quarter of a princely tomb. It is the most lavishly decorated example of its kind ever discovered. A bird, which has a hole in its back, sits on a tube connected to a hollow container, which has a hole in its bottom, implying that this object functioned as a siphon. Experiments reveal that liquid (wine) could be drawn upward from the container and would not drain away if the hole on the bird’s back was covered with a thumb. Thus, the retriever worked more efficiently than a scooper or a ladle to convey wine into a cup.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 西汉 青铜错金银嵌宝石汲酒器
  • Title: Wine Retriever
  • Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
  • Date: 2nd century BC
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Gilt bronze inlaid with gold, silver, and gemstones
  • Dimensions: H. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm); Diam. of base 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Lent by Nanjing Museum
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art