Square Wine Container (Fangyou)
Unknown Artist
c. 1250–1046 BCE
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
26.7 × 13.4 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1963.103
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
From the finely proportioned body to the elaborate decoration cast with great precision, this ritual wine vessel displays the artistic refinement and technical virtuosity that marked the full blossoming of late Shang bronze art. The dramatic contrast of the crested birds (kuifeng) against the dense background of spiral patterns (leiwen) gives the vessel a new force, clarity, and intense vitality. The distinctive square body also places it as a rare and important type among the more usual round o...