Ritual Wine Vessel
| Culture | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Title | Ritual Wine Vessel (Zun) |
| Date | 1300–1045 BCE |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Dimensions | Overall: 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (24.1 x 19.1 cm) Overall1 (foot): 5 in. (12.7 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of James and Marvelle Adams in honor of William Lowe Bryan, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 60.75 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
Vessel with an expanding foot rim, trumpet-shaped mouth, everted rim and a slightly swelling body. Approximately three inches above the foot is a band of low relief.
Shang bronzes were made for the performance of ritual feasts to honor the one's ancestors. Vessels such as these were funerary rites and buried with the deceased so that they might continue to honor their ancestors in the afterlife. 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 for wine.
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=60.75