Ritual wine container (<em>fangyi</em>) with masks(<em>taotie</em>), serpents, and birds
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1100 BCE
label: Period
content: Zhou dynasty, Early Western Zhou dynasty
notes: label: Description
content: Ceremonial vessel with cover, type fangyi. White bronze patinated with azurite (chiefly inside), malachite and cuprite. Two inscriptions in ancient seal script.
label: Inscriptions
content: 1. Two inscriptions in ancient seal script. See original folder sheet note 3 (A.G.W., 1944).
label: Label
content: Despite the beauty of its decoration, with elaborate taotie patterns and animal motifs rendered in different levels of relief, this vessel is most famous for its lengthy cast inscription of 187 characters. The text, one of the longest from the early Zhou period, is repeated inside the vessel and the lid. A court scribe named Ling might have composed the text himself; the cast inscription resembles the rhythm and flow of calligraphy. If so, he could have been following a family tradition: he was a younger relative of Da, who was responsible for the fangding (F1950.7) in the Freer collection.
label: Label
content: The vessel commemorates three days of administrative meetings and ritual ceremonies held in Chengzhou during the reign of Zhao, the fourth Zhou monarch. Mingbao, the son of the Duke of Zhou and a nephew of the Taibao, led the events, which began with a massive gathering of court and regional officials and concluded with offerings of animal sacrifices. Afterwards, in appreciation of their efforts, Mingbao awarded ritual wine, “metal” (probably bronze), and oxen to Ling and his colleague Captain Kang, with the order that the gifts be used for ritual purposes.
label: Provenance
content: To 1930
label: Provenance
content: Tonying and Company, New York, to 1930 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1930
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Tonying and Company, New York, in 1930 [2]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] Object file, undated folder sheet note. See also Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings (February 25, 2023 to April 28, 2024)
label: Exhibition History
content: Ancient Chinese Jades and Bronzes (November 20, 2010 to January 3, 2016)
label: Exhibition History
content: Clay and Metal: Ancient Chinese Ceramics and Metal (February 25, 1997 to August 9, 2011)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Metalwork (May 9, 1993 to March 21, 1997)
label: Exhibition History
content: From Concept to Context: Approaches to Asian and Islamic Calligraphy (July 28, 1986 to February 6, 1987)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (March 15, 1982 to June 15, 1982)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (June 15, 1982 to September 24, 1982)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (March 9, 1981 to March 12, 1982)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Bronze, Jade, Marble (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)
label: Exhibition History
content: Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 14 and 15 (February 25, 1956 to March 1, 1957)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Jade and Bronze (August 26, 1955 to October 25, 1955)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1955 (October 24, 1955 to February 25, 1956)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1945 (January 9, 1945 to August 20, 1955)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1944 (December 13, 1944 to May 7, 1946)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Metalwork, 1943 (March 22, 1943 to December 13, 1944)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Metalwork (March 14, 1931 to March 22, 1943)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Shahnama and Chinese Art (March 24, 1930 to May 5, 1933)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902)
place: label: Origin
content: Luoyang, probably Henan province, China
topic: label: Topic
content: casting
label: Topic
content: metal
label: Topic
content: bronze
label: Topic
content: bird
label: Topic
content: dragon
label: Topic
content: Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 221 BCE)
label: Topic
content: Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)
label: Topic
content: mask
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
label: Topic
content: taotie
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: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1930.54a-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: 35.3 x 24.8 x 23.3 cm (13 7/8 x 9 3/4 x 9 3/16 in)