Ritual Wine Vessel
| Culture | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Title | Ritual Wine Vessel (Jue) |
| Date | 1300–1045 BCE |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Dimensions | Overall: 7 3/8 x 6 3/16 in. (18.7 x 15.7 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of James and Marvelle Adams in honor of William Lowe Bryan, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 60.73 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
Round tripod with two, knobbed upright elements and handle on one side. There is a band of decoration around the waist of the vessel.
Shang bronzes were made for the performance of ritual feasts to honor the dead and their ancestors. Vessels such as these—bronze for the more affluent, clay for those of modest means—were buried with the deceased so that they might continue to honor their ancestors in the after life. The Chinese believed that the afterlife was much like the present life and one’s commitments, pleasures, and concerns didn’t end with death. This shape was used to hold and heat liquids.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Ritual Wine Vessel | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=60.73