‘FANGHU’ VASE WITH FOUR RINGS

Description The classical shape of this fanghu - a type of “square hu”, used to hold cereal wine and the cereals themselves - is accentuated by the decorative system, which alternates flat surfaces with finely engraved registers with volutes and slightly raised elements. At the centre of the composition, one on each face of the vase, a zoomorphic mask (pushou) is applied, ending in an eyelet, from which is suspended a large laminar ring, engraved and perforated with vaguely zoomorphic motifs on both sides: two quadrupeds seen in profile, diametrically opposed, and in the centre a three-pointed shape reminiscent of the bat of later Chinese depictions. These decorative rings probably imitate jade objects, acquiring their auspicious symbolism. The decoration on the surface of the fanghu's body is divided into five registers with different geometric shapes.