Wine container (hu)

China

Not on view

This ritual wine container with exquisite inlaid decoration illustrates a major innovation in China's bronze tradition in the late Eastern Zhou dynasty when, inspired by the nomadic art of the steppes, Chinese craftsmen created a sumptuous surface décor on otherwise austere bronzes. It also epitomizes a critical change in the function of bronze vessels from ritual objects to vehicles for the display of wealth and status.

Wine container (hu), Bronze inlaid with bronze, China

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