Covered Wine Vessel (hu) with Design of Animals

One of six similar bronzes known to exist, this very rare vessel has a slightly flared mouth, swollen body, and a narrow foot. The cover, a shallow dome with equidistant upright rings, is inlaid with three dragons surrounding a stag at the center. The shoulders bear two handles in the shape of animal-form masks, each securing a ring with cast decoration. The body is decorated in five registers of inlaid design separated by a figure resembling two triangles joined at their top point.

The many fantastical figures decorating this object include pairs of crested birds standing on dragon-headed snakes, reclining deer, long-horned feline beasts, and deer-headed creatures cavorting over the vessel’s surface. These elements, inlaid with copper, originate from the artistic traditions of southern China.