Page 47 - Deydier VOL.2 Meiyintang Collection of Chinese Bronses

The precise function of the hu is also problematic. The Jia 斝
Yili (Book of Rites)mentions that the hu was used to hold This vessel used for warming fermented beverages is very
alcoholic beverages, but certain inscriptions and other similar to the jue but differs from it in its larger size and
classical texts classify the hu among vessels used for holding its lack of a pouring spout. Its body, which can be round or
water. The general opinion among scholars nowadays is that cylindrical, with a flat bottom or a round one, has two vertical
the hu was used to hold either alcoholic beverages or water, protuberances surmounted by knobs. Its semi-circular
depending on what the situation called for. lateral handle can sometimes be decorated with a wonderful
animal head cast in the round. The term jia is mentioned
Several scholars, including Mr Ma Chengyuan, believe that for the first time in the Liji (禮記 Book of Rites of the Zhou),
the hu first appeared in bronze as early as the Erligang where a commentary by Zheng Xuan (鄭玄) says that the
period of the early Shang dynasty, but no such early jia was used by the King for making fermented beverage
example has as yet been unearthed by archeologists. During libations during rituals, while the jue was used for the same
the Yinxu period of the Shang dynasty, most hu take a form purpose by those of the rank of Marquis. A pictogram carved
which resembles the lower, rounded part of a pear that on an oracle bone from the Shang dynasty strongly resembles the shape of this
gradually becomes a bit narrower as it rises to its narrower vessel.
and much shorter neck. A pair of cylindrical lug handles
appear near the top, one on each side of the neck and the Jia vessels appear as early as the end of the Xia dynasty. Some were excavated
usually coverless vessel stands on a high ring foot. If there from stratum III and IV in the Erlitou area. These primitive examples have a
is a cover, it is usually dome-shaped. flat bottom, a body narrowing at the middle, a semi-circular lateral handle,
two vertical protuberances surmounted by knobs, and three triangular legs,
Sometimes, the body of the usually coverless hu becomes which can sometimes be hollow, similar to those on a vessel li.
more oval in shape and some, called fanghu, are even
square. At the beginning of the Shang dynasty, during the Erligang period, the shape
of the jia changes slightly, but generally the body consists of two sections: a
Gradually the shape of the body changes, and by the end of lower section with outwardly expanding, rounded sides and an upper section
the Shang, the pear-shaped lower section narrows half way with a narrow waist that flares outwards as it rises to its rim. The conical legs
up towards the top of the vessel and the hu’s neck becomes are hollow and extend outwards as they descend.
much longer and the later hu usually has a high cover, often
with a wide, high, thick-lipped open-topped knob on its top. During the Yinxu period, the apogee of Shang bronze vessel production, the
shape of the jia’s body hardly changes, and it remains round, tall and convex,
From the Warring States period onwards, the bianhu, a or sometimes square. The legs are triangular and sometimes hollow and open
flattened-egg-shaped vessel on a low rectangular foot and on their inner sides. Size can also vary greatly, with the largest reaching over
topped by a short, rather narrow cylindrical neck with a 80 cm in height.
slightly protruding lip and a low cover with a small ring
handle on it, becomes very popular in addition to the Toward the end of the Shang dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou dynasty,
rounder version of the hu. (See Wang Tao, Chinese Bronzes the body of the jia becomes dumpier and sometimes looks like the body of a li,
from the Meiyintang Collection, p. 112-113 no. 49.) composed of three clustered round swells supported by three small cylindrical
legs that narrow into points as they descend. The vessel’s semi-circular, lateral
The hu is very popular during all of the Han dynasty, by handle becomes thicker and is often surmounted by a bovine head cast in the
which time its body, pear-shaped or square, with a long round.
neck and cover, is cast in a simpler fashion, and with thinner
walls. The Han hu is usually without decoration, except The jia disappears around the middle of the Zhou dynasty.
for a pair of taotie masks in light relief to which moveable
handles are attached.

46 47