‘GUI’ RITUAL VESSEL FOR FOOD

Description Ritual bronze vessel for holding cooked grain offerings, with a classical shape, attested in Anyang (1300-1046 BCE), with a flared neck and everted hem, a belly expanded downwards and a slightly flared ring foot. The two semi-annular loops are configured, at the top, with the head of a young deer with short horns. Each handle ends, at the bottom, with a rectangular plate adorned with a leg and (bird's?) claws in light relief. The neck and foot of the vessel each have a decorative band, characterised by four zoomorphic masks (taotie) that barely detach from a leiwen bottom (“lightning motif”), enriched by vertical scrolls placed on the sides of the mask.