Ritual wine ewer (gong) with masks (taotie), dragons, and real animals

Object Details

Description

Ewer with design that incorporates many stylized birds and animals. No inscription.

Previous custodian or owner

Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer ((1875-1959) and (1887-1970))

Provenance

From at least 1926 to 1961

Eugene Meyer (1875-1959) and Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), Washington, DC, and Mt. Kisco, NY, from at least 1926 [1]

From 1961

Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer in 1961 [2]

Notes:

[1] See H. d'Ardenne de Tizac, L'Art Chinois Classique (Paris: Henri Laurens, 1926), p. 25, pls. 6-7.

[2] See Agnes Meyer's Deed of Gift, dated December 21, 1961, copy in object file.

Date

ca. 1100-1050 BCE

Period

Probably late Shang dynasty

Origin

China

Topic

animal

Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE)

Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE)

wine

China

Chinese Art

taotie

Related Online Resources

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Credit Line

Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer

Data Source

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Accession Number

F1961.33a-b

Type

Vessel

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

H x W x D: 32.2 × 32.2 × 15.7 cm (12 11/16 × 12 11/16 × 6 3/16 in)

Record ID

fsg_F1961.33a-b

Metadata Usage

CC0

GUID

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3810cf905-f85e-4adb-b160-1e5b94cbffe9