Subject: ya noble warrior
Culture: Shang proto-Chinese
Setting: Shang dynasty, north China 18th-11thc BC
Object: 樽 bottle
Sackler Gallery *
"Ritual wine container 樽 Zun
Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century B.C., Bronze ...
The naturalistic attributes of the owl are deliberately absorbed into the simple shape of this vessel.
The wings are smoothly blended into the rounded form of the body,
and the beak and head conveniently made to correspond to the domed lid."
*
* Sackler Gallery
"Ritual wine container Guang
Shang dynasty, 12 century B.C. Bronze ...
No attempt was made to depict complete animal forms on this vessel.
Only the animals' heads, arbitrarily placed at either end of the lid, are evident."
