Double-Owl Shaped Ritual Wine Vessel

Artist Unknown (China) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 02:04:49 -0400

Title	Double-Owl Shaped Ritual Wine Vessel
Artist	Artist Unknown (China)
Date	12th-11th century B.C.
Institution	Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Location	On view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, G216

Two owls coalesced back to back form a vessel supported by short, stout legs. The bird's body, with wings executed in low relief accented by a few modelling lines, is formed by the belly of the vessel. The domed lid represents the head, with a coarsly modelled, turned-up beak. Instead of the features of a bird, however, it carries the familiar t'ao-t'ieh in flat relief. The knob, with a conical top, just clears the top of a bow handle, which ends on each side in a forceful animal's head eith forehead lozenge and bottle horns, the latter incised with spirals and zigzags. The bow handle carries three lozenges in high, angular relief. Between two such lozenges appear two cicadas facing away from each other, their tails coalesced. A smaller animal in low relief appears in the space between the end lozenge and the big head. Patina Light green.

Double-Owl Shaped Ritual Wine Vessel

Double-Owl Shaped Ritual Wine Vessel

Double-Owl Shaped Ritual Wine Vessel

Artist Unknown (China)

12th-11th century B.C.