Duck-Shaped Vessel (Zun)
Unknown Artist
2nd–1st century BCE
Medium
Earthenware with pigments
Dimensions
H. 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm); L. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
China · Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charlotte C. and John C. Weber Collection, Gift of Charlotte C. and John C. Weber, 1994
Accession Number
1994.605.97
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming Duck-Shaped Vessel, or *zun*, hails from China's Western Han dynasty (206.C.–A.D. 9), a golden age of imperial expansion, cultural refinement, and elaborate funerary arts. Crafted from earthenware and vividly enhanced with pigments, it measures a modest 6⅝ inches high and 14 inches long, captures the graceful form of a duck in remarkable detail—from its sleek body and webbed feet to its poised head. Such zoomorphic vessels were prized grave goods, placed in tombs to accompany the deceased into the afterlife, reflecting beliefs in harmony between humans, animals, and the cosmos. ...