Page 56 - 2011 - The Frank Arts Collection, Chinese Bronzes

17. Qin Gong Gui

Archaic bronze food vessel gui.
Late Western Zhou dynasty,
Early Spring and Autumn period, 9 – 8 century BC
th
th
Qin culture.
Length: 34 cm
Height: 23.5 cm

Archaic bronze food vessel gui. The vessel’s compressed globular body is cast at its
top with a band of stylized dragons with protuberant eyes, upwardly curling tails and
elephant trunk-like noses. Each is divided from the other by a small upside-down
taotie mask in high relief. The rest of the body is covered with ribbed grooves.
The cover is cast with a similar frieze with its taotie masks right side up topped by
upwardly slopping horizontal grooves surmounted by a tall lipped ring.
The conical hollow foot decorated with scale motifs, is supported by three feet in the
shape of animal legs emerging from animal heads in high relief.
Each of the vessel’s massive loop handles is cast in the form of a dragon’s head with
a central crest-like horn, long ears, bulbous eyes, an upwardly curling snout and a
long multi-layered tongue that emerges from its mouth to form the handle’s lower
section.

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