Wine vessel (Jue)
Unknown Artist
c. 1200 BCE
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
22.7 × 17.2 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Cornelia Blakemore Warner Fund and Edward L. Wittemore Fund
Accession Number
1960.42
About this artwork
Wine and food played a major role in ritual offerings to the ancestral spirits and the Supreme Ancestor (Shangdi) performed by the Shang rulers in the state cult of ancestor worship. A variety of wine vessels—each type given a specific name—was cast to bear witness to the power and artistic vitality of this remote civilization. This example of a jue wine cup is for libations. Other types of wine vessels include jia (wine warming vessel), fangyou (square wine container), and gu (beaker with a tru...