Asian Art
Square Wine Container (Fangyou)
Metalwork
Details
- Author / creator
- China, Henan province, probably Anyang, Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1046 BCE), Anyang phase (c. 1250–1046 BCE)
- Object type
- Metalwork
- Date or period
- c. 1250–1046 BCE
- Dimensions summary
- Overall: 26.7 × 13.4 cm
- Maker or workshop
- China, Henan province, probably Anyang, Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1046 BCE), Anyang phase (c. 1250–1046 BCE)
- Period / style
- Shang dynasty period
- Place of origin
- China
- Acquisition method
- Purchase
- Credit line
- Purchased with the Founder's Endowment, 1963
About this object
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 or ovoid types.
Materials and technique
Bronze
