Gui (food vessel)

early to mid-11th century BCE

Ancient 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.

Cast bronze

5 3/8 x 10 3/4 x 7 in. (13.65 x 27.31 x 17.8cm)

Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund

56.34

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

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

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