Page 200 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

handles. These truly are the "imposing vessels" Liquan yan, at 70 centimeters and 25 kilograms,
(zhong qi) mentioned in later texts. is slightly smaller. This yan is one of a number of
While four-legged steamers are extremely rare, linkages between the Gan River culture and the
the three-legged type, which originated in bronze Wei River valley of the Zhou.
forms during the Erligang Phase, had become rela- The Fu Hao tomb contained a singular steaming
tively more common by the Late Shang. Yan (or box with three bowls (cat. 47), also a large and
xian) steamers are most frequently either bereft of impressive vessel. The cooked grain may have been
decoration or given only a minimal treatment of presented in ceramic vessels, which were plentiful
"bowstrings" on the bowl and a few relief elements in the Dayangzhou find. No bronze types, with
from an animal mask on the legs. This vessel, how- the possible exception of the dou, appear suitable
ever, combines extensive intaglio decoration on the for this function. RT
base with relief eyes, ox horns, and mouth. A single
register of mask motifs bordered by circles wraps 1 Recovered in 1989 (XDM^S); reported: Jiangxi 1997, 53-57.
2 Shaanxi 1979, no. 59.
around the upper bowl, while a monocular band
occupies the outer edge of the rim. The loop han-
dles have swallowtail chevron motifs that can also
be found on Wucheng ceramics. Flanges at the
median line of each leg are echoed above by flanges
set into the wall of the bowl. Four-legged creatures
with small ears, no horns, and a scale pattern cover-
ing their bodies form the handles. A good analogue
of the Dayangzhouyan is a three-legged example
2
found in 1977 in Liquan county, Shaanxi. The dis-
position of decoration is almost the same, but the

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