Ritual vessel (<em>you</em>) and cover
date: label: Date
content: ca. late 11th-early 10th century BCE
label: Period
content: Western Zhou dynasty
notes: label: Description
content: Ceremonial vessel of the type "yu," with cover.
label: Description
content: Surface: a variable green patina over gold bronze; earth incrusted.
label: Description
content: Decoration: in low relief and delicate linear relief. Inscriptions inside of the vessel and the cover.
label: Inscriptions
content: "Translation by Mr. S. Tang:
label: Inscriptions
content: 'The object is called "yew." The inscription on its cover and the bottom of the receptacle are the same but in different form and position.
label: Inscriptions
content: There are seven inscriptions on the cover and also on the bottom, which are given in Chinese characters in the original translation.
label: Inscriptions
content: The figures 1, 2, and 3 are common letters in this kind of receptacles at Shang dynasty, and mean hand down to the son and grand son, in other words, hereditary. Numbers 4, 5, mean father and K'ai. They are also common. They are interpreted by scholars as for the father 'K'ai.' The word 'K'ai' is one of the Shih-Kan, ten honorary and astronomical characters. All the Emperors in Shang dynasty called themselves one of these words, so they engraved their names, in this manner, to the bronzes of that period.
label: Inscriptions
content: Number 6 means woman. We find most of this kind of bronzes bear the word son, which is interpreted as the son who made this object for his father. We also find in other objects, which bear the word woman as interpreted to have been made by woman.
label: Inscriptions
content: So this jar may have been made by a princess as an offering to the temple of her ancestors.
label: Inscriptions
content: Number 7 is doubtful. It looks like the word "ye," the name of this object being abbreviated. The inscriptions always say what "ye" and the word "yi" is afterwards abbreviated, but I am not certain about this case.
label: Inscriptions
content: Number 7 is doubtful. It looks like the word "ye," the name of this object being abbreviated. The inscriptions always say what "ye" and the word "yi" is afterwards abbreviated, but I am not certain about this case.
label: Provenance
content: To 1911
label: Provenance
content: Li Wenqing (circa 1869-1931), Shanghai to 1911 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1911 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Li Wenqing in 1911 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See Original Bronze List, S.I. 192, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Li Wenqing 李文卿 (ca. 1869-1931) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: casting
label: Topic
content: metal
label: Topic
content: bronze
label: Topic
content: Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1911.37a-b
objectType: label: Type
content: Vessel
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Bronze
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (overall): 32.6 x 23.9 x 17.5 cm (12 13/16 x 9 7/16 x 6 7/8 in)