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Gui (food vessel)
Gui (food vessel)

Gui (food vessel)

Dateearly to mid-11th century BCE
Label TextAncient Chinese metallurgists converted raw material into bronze objects with powerful zoomorphic (animal-like) designs that stood out against geometric patterns. The most notable design is the monster mask later known as a taotie: staring eyes, stylized horns, and fangs. Another common motif is the dragon, usually shown in profile with just one eye. This food vessel has both.
Object number56.34
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Timeless Grandeur: Art from China" April 25, 2002 - June 12, 2005 Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, "Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective", December 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009 (12/22/2007 - 7/26/2009) Portland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, "Gift to a City: Masterworks from the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection in the Seattle Art Museum", cat. # 3 Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.Published References"Gift to a City" exhibition catalogue. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1965, cat. no. 3 Knight, Michael. "Early Chinese Metalwork in the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1989, no. 8, pp. 13-15, ill. pp. 12, 15 Knight, Michael, "East Asian Lacquers in the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1992, fig. 1, p. 6
Credit LineMargaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund
Dimensions5 3/8 x 10 3/4 x 7 in. (13.65 x 27.31 x 17.8cm)
MediumCast bronze
Gui (food vessel)
Chinese
2nd millennium BC
Object number: 45.48
Photo: Susan A. Cole
Chinese
early to mid-11th century BCE
Object number: 54.177
Gui (food vessel)
Chinese
11th–10th century BCE
Object number: 48.183
He (wine vessel)
Chinese
6th-5th century BCE
Object number: 93.65
Jue (wine vessel)
Chinese
mid - late 2nd millennium BCE
Object number: 34.63
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
Chinese
12th century BCE
Object number: 42.4
Wine vessel (hu)
Chinese
206 B.C.-9 A.D.
Object number: 82.151
Photo: iocolor, LLP
Chinese
5th century B.C.
Object number: 45.31
Jue (wine vessel)
Chinese
mid-2nd millennium BCE
Object number: 62.101
You (wine vessel)
Chinese
11th century BCE
Object number: 56.33
Bo zhong (suspended bell)
Chinese
771-221 B.C.
Object number: 87.43
Mirror:  Maenad and Doe
Etruscan
ca. 470 B.C.
Object number: 48.23