The ''zun'' or ''yi'', used until the Northern Song (960–1126) is a type of Chinese ritual bronze or ceramic wine vessel with a round or square vase-like form, sometimes in the shape of an animal, first appearing in the Shang dynasty. Used in religious ceremonies to hold wine, the zun has a wide lip to facilitate pouring. Vessels have been found in the shape of a dragon, an ox, a goose, and more. One notable zun is the He zun () from the Western Zhou.

Function and use

The zun is a vessel used as a ritual container to hold wine in ancient Chinese. It is a tall wine cup, with no handles or legs. The mouth of the vessel is normally seen as broader than the rest of the body. As a ritual container, its function is to provide the offering of wine to the deceased through ceremonial practices. Depending on the type of zun vessel, for example the Xi zun, not only was it used to store wine but also used to keep the wine warm. This is the only bronze piece discovered known to combine the two functions.

Symbolism

The zun comes in various shapes, notably as a round or square vase-like form. Through these forms they appear in unique shapes varying different animals. Often, these vessels are found with distinctive and defined decor with unique symbolism. The most noticeable symbol through the decor is the taotie, known as the demon-face or the face of a sacrificial animal in early Chinese art. This type of face is a common motif found in Chinese ritual bronzes during the Shang dynasty. It has also been defined as a mask, vividly shown as two symmetrical bodies that are joined together. The most visible feature of the mask on the vessel is the protruding animal eyes projecting from the bronze surface in which stares at the viewer. These protruding eyes has also been defined as the eyes of a predator. These animal designs are also iconographically meaningful as the images of the various animals that served as the helpers of shamans and shamanesses (who were believed to have mythical powers) in the tasks of Heaven-Earth, and with the dead-living communication.

Ceramic forms

The zun can be seen in a variety of different vessel forms from a limited amount of decoration to detailed. Some are square, some cylindrical while others are modeled after animals. Some of the animals they are modeled after are an elephant, ox, sheep, horse, rhinoceros and a bird. The basic shape used throughout many is cylindrical and the shape itself is repeated but with modifications. Some Zuns are tall and slender while others may be short and round. The decoration used on the vessels varies not only in content but the relief height. The height of the relief may give off the impression of texture or it may emphasize the form of the vessel by being smooth and round like the vessel. The taller vessel forms may have flanges on the sides that start at the upper lip and follow down to the foot of the vessel.

Historical and cultural references

Some characteristics of early Shang zuns consisted of a flaring mouth, high neck and a large body. Shang zuns also had wide shoulders and a foot ring. During the early Western Zhou, there was a zun modeled after a gu but was thicker, larger and the body portion is swelled more than that of a gu. Flanges appear on the vessels body and neck while the same decoration is used. The shoulders consist of small animal heads. Late Shang to Early Zhou Zuns are slim. The flanges start from the mouth of the vessel and down the body ending before the foot ring. The flanges are identical showing symmetry. Early Western Zhou zun are shorter, rounder and smoother. The relief of the vessel emphasizes the form removing the flanges. The bird motif is more prominent now than in the previous vessels.

Important examples

Four-goat Square Zun The Four-goat Square Zun () is an ancient Chinese ritual bronze ''zun'' vessel. It is more than 3,000 years old from the era of late Shang dynasty (11th – 10th century BC), and famous for its shape, each of the four sides of the belly has a big ...

:Period: Shang Dynasty :Overall Height: 58.3 cm :Weight: 34 kg :Location: National Museum of China, Beijing Square zun with four sheep 01

The square zun was excavated in 1938 from Yueshanpu, Ningxiang, Hunan Province. It has a generous mouth with a flared flat lip, a long neck, projecting shoulder, shallow belly and high ring foot. There are flanges on the four corners and in the middle of all four sides. The neck has a design of triangular one-legged dragons and the flanges become the noses of the animal face designs below, with curly horns, round protruding eyes and a scrolled tail. On the shoulder are high-relief designs of dragons with their three-dimensional heads on the centre and their bodies wriggling along the sides. On the four corners of the shoulder are four protruding rams’ heads with curly horns, the belly of the vessel forming their chests and their legs extending down the ring foot. Their heads have engraved thunder patterns while there are scales on their chests and backs. Both sides are decorated with an elegant design of a bird with a high crest. The ring foot also carries a design of one-legged dragons. This vessel combines the techniques of engraving, high relief and three-dimensional relief in a dignified and refined form with intricately worked designs. It is a perfect fusion of moulding and artistic design representing the very best of bronze-making by the traditional clay mould technique.

Fu Hao owl-shaped Zun

:Period: Late Shang Dynasty :Overall Height: 46.3 cm :Mouth Wide: 16.1 cm :Location: National Museum of China, Beijing It was excavated in 1976 from the tomb of Fu Hao,

Anyang Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively. It had a ...

, Henan Province. This bronze wine vessel with the design of owl, a ferocious bird, belongs to those with bird and beast designs. The whole vessel uses thunder pattern as the background, the beak and breast carry cicada pattern, the two sides of the neck carry the Kui pattern (Kui is a legendary dragon with one horn and one foot), the wings carry snake pattern and the tail has the design of a flying owl. The whole piece has rich, delicate and diverse patterns. In appearance, this owl looks solemn and powerful with its two legs and tail form a triangle support the vessel. The shape is firm and lifelike. It is a perfect combination of plane and three-dimensional designs. Inside the vessel's mouth are two inscribed characters “Fuhao”, the name of a woman. The oracle inscriptions during the reign of the King Wuding of the Shang Dynasty have many records about this woman. Being the wife of the king, Fuhao involved herself in major state affairs, participated in wars, and presided over sacrificial ceremonies. She led troops to conquer many parts of the country, thus enjoying an illustrious status and being a legendary figure.

Dragon and tiger Zun

:Period: Late Shang Dynasty :Overall Height: 50.5 cm :Diameter at mouth: 44.7cm, Diameter at foot: 24 cm It was excavated in 1957 from Yueyahe, Funan, Anhui Province. This is a tall and large zun, with a trumpet-shaped mouth, girded neck, broad sloping shoulder, belly which narrows at the bottom, and a high ring foot. The neck is decorated with three narrow bands, the shoulder with three protruding wriggling dragons with upright conical horns, open mouths, extended bodies and coiled tail. Behind their tails is another small dragon design. The belly has a design of a tiger, with raised head in high relief and bodies in shallower relief, extending on both sides of the head. Below the tiger's head is a squatting man with arms raised above his shoulders, his head inside the jaw of the tiger. Below both designs is an animal face design with the corner flange of the vessel forming its nose, T-shaped horns and a scrolled tail. The ring foot has three cross-shaped piercings and, on the lower part, animal face designs. The mixture of the techniques of engraving, high relief and three-dimensional relief on the shoulder and belly combined with the delicate and beautiful designs make this a masterpiece of Shang bronze work. In ancient times, non-Chinese peoples lived in Huaiyi Region, where this piece was excavated, and it shows the influence of Shang bronzes combined with local features.

Ritual wine container (zun) with masks, dragons, and birds

:Period: Late Shang dynasty, Middle Anyang period, ca. 12th century B.C.E. :Overall Height: 36.6 cm :Wide: 37.4 cm :Weight: 34 kg :Location: Freer Gallery of Art F1951.19 This example probably excavated from Anyang, Henan province, China. And it used to belong to

C.T. Loo Ching Tsai Loo, commonly known as C. T. Loo (; 1February 1880August15, 1957), was a controversial art dealer of Chinese origin who maintained galleries in Paris and New York and supplied important pieces for collectors and American museums by i ...

& Co., New York, from at least May 11, 1949. Then Freer Gallery of Art purchased it from C. T. Loo on November 28, 1951.

Zun with dragons

:Period: Western Zhou Dynasty :Overall Height: 20.5 cm :Wide: 17.5 cm :Location: Freer Gallery of Art F1911.40, purchased from C.T. Loo on December 8, 1943

Zun Pan Set

:Period: Early Warring Period :Height of Zun: 33.1cm :Wide of Zun: 62cm :Height of Pan: 24cm :Wide of Pan: 57.6cm :Depth of Pan: 12cm :Weight: 28.2 kg :Location: Hubei Museum, Hubei Zun pan

The bronze zun-pan set from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (433 BC) unearthed in Suizhou, Hubei in 1978. This is the most exquisite and complex bronze ever found. The set was probably created for an earlier marquis whose name has been erased and replaced by the Marquis of Yi. The Zun Pan set has various decorations on the plate. The bronze Zun is made of 34 parts, which are cast and welded in 56 places. A total of 56 ''Panlong'' and 48 ''Panchi'' are decorated on the body of the Pan, and a seven-character inscription is engraved on the bottom of the neck of Zun and the bottom of Pan.

He zun

:Period: Western Zhou :Overall Height: 38.8 cm :Weight: 14.6 kg :Location: Baoji Museum, Shaanxi He Zun

He Zun, renowned for the written characters meaning "Middle Kingdom", that is, "China" () in a bronze inscription on the bottom, is one of the most important and well-known Chinese bronze vessels of the Western Zhou. It was discovered by chance and its value hadn't been recognized for a long time after it was unearthed. Now He Zun is one of the precious cultural relics which can never be exhibited overseas as expressly provided by Chinese government. This vessel describes the establishment of a royal residence at the new capital five years after King Cheng assumed the throne. The inscription, which is unclear in parts, was composed by He, who received a speech and gifts from the King. We do not know who his father was nor what role he played in the Zhou conquest, but it is possible that He and his lineage were originally not members of the Zhou tribe. The inscription is particularly interesting in that it demonstrates that the primacy of the deity Tian was already established. “Tian” is a Zhou term for the highest divine force; Shang oracle texts employed the term “Di” in a similar sense. When the King had completed his address, he bestowed upon He thirty strings of cowries, wherefore has been cast this precious sacrificial vessel for X Gong.

Lidded ritual wine container (zun) in the form of a bird

:Period： Middle Eastern Zhou Dynasty :Overall height：26.5 cm :Wide: 13.5 cm :Deep: 20 cm :Location: Freer Gallery of Art F1961.30a-b This example was reportedly excavated near Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China. To 1915:Marcel Bing (1875–1920), Paris, to 1915. From 1915 to 1961: Eugene (1875–1959) and Agnes E. (1887–1970) Meyer, Washington, D.C., and Mt. Kisco, New York, purchased jointly with Charles L. Freer (1854–1919) from Marcel Bing through C.T. Loo, Lai Yuan & Co., New York, in December 1915. From 1961: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer, 1961.

Xi Zun ne/h2>
:Period: Late Spring and Autumn :Overall Height: 33.7cm :Length: 58.7cm :Weight: 10.76kg :Location:
Shanghai Museum The Shanghai Museum is a museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District, Shanghai, Huangpu District of Shanghai, China. Rebuilt at its current location in 1996, it is considered one of China's first world-c ...
, Shanghai Xi () in ancient Chinese means solid coloured animals used as sacrifice. This vessel is shaped like a vivid ox, which is strong and steady. There are three holes on the ox's back. The middle hole can hold a small wine pot so hot water can be poured into the hollow belly from other two holes. On this basis, researcher infer that Xi Zun might be used to warm wine. Xi Zun is extremely unusual because of its distinctive style and design. This example is the most famous one but not the only one.

Xi Zun wo/h2>
:Period: Middle Western Zhou Dynasty :Overall Height: 24 cm :Length: 38 cm :Depth of Belly: 10.7 cm :Location: Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an This example was excavated in 1967 from Hejiacun, Qishan County, Shaanxi. It is a wine container shaped like an ox as well, but with a square hole on its back and a tiger-shaped lid. The tail of the ox is the handle. The exaggerated mould is very magnificent.

Gold and silver inlay cloud-patterned rhinoceros Zun

:Period: Western Han (206 BC – AD 8) :Overall Height: 34.4 cm :Length: 58.1 cm :Location: National Museum of China, Beijing It was excavated in 1963 from Doumacun, Xingping, Shaanxi Province. This vessel is in the form of a powerful standing rhinoceros with a raised head with pricked ears and sharp tusks. Its eyes are bright black glass beads, giving it a graceful expression. The lid on its back is hinged at the front allowing it to be opened. Cloud decorations cover the entire body with spirals in between, all inlaid with gold and silver, suggesting the fine hairs of the rhinoceros. This is a realistic piece with flowing and lively decoration, and deserves to be considered a masterpiece of Western Han gold and silver inlay.

Citations

General references

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