Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Bronze Vessel (you)

Bronze Vessel (you)
China, Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1046-771 B.C.)
Bronze.
height: 12 inches (305 mm); height including handle: 13 inches (330 mm); width: 8 1/4 inches (210 mm) lid: 4 7/8 inches (124 mm) diameter
AZ049
Provenance
Originally in the collection of the Emperor Ch'ien Lung, 18th century; Li Tsung-tai (a 19th century official); purchased from C.T. Loo by J.P. Morgan, Jr. in 1917.
Inscriptions/Markings
An archaic inscription within the cover states that "Po Chu caused the precious vase-formed vessel to be made".
Summary
The symbolic decoration on this vessel depicts the t'ao-t'ieh, a pattern for which there have been several explanations, none of which has been universally accepted. The cast inscription inside the cover indicates that the owner was of imperial rank.
Classification
Department