Gu (libation goblet, one of a pair with 1948/1.117) / Artist Unknown, China
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1948/1.118
- Title
- Gu (libation goblet, one of a pair with 1948/1.117)
- Artist
- Artist Unknown, China
- Medium and Support
- cast bronze with heavy malachite patina
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1300 BCE - circa 1100 BCE
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- China (nation)
- Henan (province)
- Anyang
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- China (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Henan (province)
- Creation Place 4
- Anyang
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
- Inscription
- Inside the foot: a pictogram
- Dimensions
- 29.8 cm x 16.8 cm x 16.8 cm (11 3/4 in. x 6 5/8 in. x 6 5/8 in.)
- Century
- 12th-11th century BCE
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- vessel
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- beaker
- Physical Description
- Wine drinking goblet or beaker with a wide, trumpet-shaped mouth, narrow, banded waist, and flaring foot. The slender silhouette of the vessel suggests a date towards the end of the Late Shang period. The body is decorated with Tao-tie mask design, divided by the elaborate raised flanges. An inscription is found inside the flaring foot, presumably the name of the person that the vessel is dedicated.
- Subject Matter
- elaborately decorated bronze wine goblet used in elite feasting or offing wine at ancetral rituals in early China. Often used as part of a set of ritual vessels and placed in the burials of the Shang elite. The surface is decorated with tao-tie design, and the foot is inscribed with the clam emblem or the elite person to whom the vessel is dedicated.
- Secondary Keywords
- containers
- containers by function or context
- containers for serving and consuming food
- culinary containers
- drinking glasses
- drinking vessels
- events
- objects we use
- people and culture
- vessels for serving and consuming food
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 2744 x 3960
- File Size
- 1 MB
- Record
- 1948/1.118
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1948-sl-1.118/1948_1_118.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1948-SL-1.118:1948_1_118.JPG
Cite this Item
View the Help Guide for more information.
- Full citation
-
"Gu (libation goblet, one of a pair with 1948/1.117); Artist Unknown, China." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1948-sl-1.118/1948_1_118.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 16, 2024.
