Covered Wine Vessel (you) with Swing Handle and Design of Zoomorphic Masks, Birds, and Animal Heads

This vessel has a broad mouth and low swollen body with a flared, elevated foot decorated with two bowstrings. The dome-shaped cover, topped with a stemmed knob, slopes down to a high concave collar. The handle is attached to two animal-headed lugs on either side of the vessel. The cover is decorated with four panels, each composed of a bird; the same motif decorates the band on the body. Each panel is bound by the lug rings of the handle and by two zoomorphic masks (taotie) with large, tear-shaped horns in high relief. The vessel is inscribed with seven characters on the interiors of the lid and body. The inscriptions may be translated as “Shi Po Zhi made for Father Gui this vessel.”