Ritual wine cup (zhi) with cover

Ceremonial vessel, type chih. Cover. Surface: smooth silvery green patina with patches of rough green; earthy adhesions. Decoration: in low relief, except for incised lines on the knob. Inscriptions in vessel and cover.

Historical period(s)
middle or late Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 12th-11th century BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H x Diam: 19 × 8.9 cm (7 1/2 × 3 1/2 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1938.6a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Vessel
Type

Ritual vessel: zhi

Keywords
Anyang period (ca. 1300 - ca. 1050 BCE), China, wine
Provenance

From at least 1937 to 1938
C. T. Loo & Company, New York from at least November 1937 [1]

From 1938
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on February 4, 1938 [2]

Notes:

[1] See C. T. Loo's stockcard no. L 36/34: "Bronze vase with cover, light green patina, Cho[u], 6th century," with an annotation that Loo was in possession of the vessel in November 1937, C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file.

[2] See C. T. Loo's invoice dated January 17, 1938, with an annotation that it was passed for payment on February 4, 1938, copy in object file. According to C. T. Loo's stockcard cited above, the vessel was sold on February 9, 1938.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

C.T. Loo & Company 1914-1948

Description

Ceremonial vessel, type chih. Cover. Surface: smooth silvery green patina with patches of rough green; earthy adhesions. Decoration: in low relief, except for incised lines on the knob. Inscriptions in vessel and cover.

Published References
  • Smithsonian Institution. Report of the Secretary, 1938. Washington, 1938-1939. pl. 2.
  • Smithsonian Institution. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, 1937. Washington, 1937-1938. pl. 2.
  • Shang Chou chin wen shi ch'eng. Multi-volume, Taipei. cat. 7069.
  • Chin wen tsung chi. Taipei. vol. 8: p. 3467.
  • Chen Mengjia. Yin Zhou qing tong qi fen lei tu lu [Yin-Chou ch'ing t'ung ch'i fen lei t'u lu]. 2 vols., Dongjing. vol. 2: A 518.
  • Grace Dunham Guest, Archibald Gibson Wenley. Annotated Outlines of the History of Chinese Arts. Washington, 1949. p. 2.
  • Compiled by the staff of the Freer Gallery of Art. A Descriptive and Illustrative Catalogue of Chinese Bronzes: Acquired During the Administration of John Ellerton Lodge. Oriental Studies Series, no. 3 Washington, 1946. pp. 4, 6-7, 36, pl. 15.
  • Howard F. Collins. Decor, Function, and Contour in Early Chinese Bronzes. vol. 12, no. 2 London, Summer 1966. p. 116, fig. 8.
  • Dr. John Alexander Pope, Rutherford John Gettens, James Cahill, Noel Barnard. The Freer Chinese Bronzes. Oriental Studies Series, vol. 1, no. 7 Washington. cat. 71, p. 395.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use