Bronze Wine Vessels of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties

The bronze wine vessels prevailed during the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties are not only the practical utensils but also one kind of the bronze ritual wares, symbolizing the status and authority of the emperors and leuds. The earliest bronze wine vessel uncovered so far is the bronze Jue during the Erlitou Culture period in the Xia Dynasty. The bronze wine vessels fall into three kinds as drinking vessels, vessels for holding wine and vessels for storing wine, according to their respective functions. In addition, each kind can be further divided into a variety of sorts with different styles. The most common ones are the Jue and Jiao used for drinking wine, as well as the Zun and Hu for holding wine.

The bronze wine vessels embody the aesthetic trend and the spirit of the Shang and Chou dynasties. Among the unearthed bronze wine vessels there are a large number of fine and delicate works, such as the Lotus and Crane Rectangular Jar, Four Sheep Rectangular Zun, and Zhegong (a wine vessel) and so on. On the surfaces of these wine vessels are engraved with various animal images in the full round or relief carving, among which, some are the images of animals, like rhinoceros, elephants, tigers, horses, and goats, etc; some are the combination of different animal models endowed with supernatural and magic power in people's imagination.

Generally speaking, the bronze wine vessels in the Shang Dynasty tended to express the mystery of the nature, and those during the West Zhou Dynasty put stress on realistic substances, whereas the works in the later dynasties valued the liveliness, vividness and gaudiness. Nevertheless, there were some exceptions, some of the bronze wine vessels of the Shang Dynasty were rather simple and plain in style, for instance, the Xiaocheng Yu Xi Zun of the Shang Dynasty now preserved in American Museum is simple and straight in design without any ornaments, yet it can vividly show the staggering posture of the giant.