Wine Vessel (Hu)
Unknown Artist
early 400s BCE
Medium
bronze with gold inlay
Dimensions
h. 27.6 cm · diam. 24.1 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1929.984
About this artwork
By the time this wine vessel was cast, bronzes were increasingly losing their ritual significance and becoming symbols of prestige and conspicuous consumption. This globular jar (hu) reflects the splendor and luxury of the time. The jar is decorated with free-flowing scrollwork and interlaced zoomorphic motifs. Cast depressions were first made on the bronze surface and then inlaid with gold. A graceful fluidity is achieved by the many sweeping lines, curves, and tendril-like networks covering th...