Asset number
564305001
Description
Bronze ritual wine vessel, 'zun', in the shape of a pair of rams supporting a jar. This container, presumably for wine, is flanqued by the heads and forequarters of two rams. The rams are very lifelike, specially the freely curling and fully rounded horns which project away from the animal's heads, thus achieving a great naturalistic effect. They were probably cast first and then inserted into the moulds used for casting the rest of the bronze. The bodies of the rams are covered with small scales, and on each on the haunches standing out in slight relief a "long"-dragon is embedded among the scales; its head, crowned by two small bottle-horns, hanging down towards the hooves. Pairs of C-shaped projections fill the spaces between the legs, where directly above lies the oval opening of the 'zun'. The rectangular panels below this opening on the two sides of the vessel are filled with somewhat unorthodox 'taotie' faces which have large pupils and bottle-shaped horns in relief.; the rest of the faces being executed in thick scrolling reminiscent of Style II. The obscured features of the taotie contrast with the very realistic ram's heads.
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