![British Museum Kang Hou Gui Front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/British_Museum_Kang_Hou_Gui_Front.jpg)
A gui is a type of bowl-shaped ancient
Chinese ritual bronze
Sets and individual examples of ritual bronzes survive from when they were made mainly during the Chinese Bronze Age. Ritual bronzes create quite an impression both due to their sophistication of design and manufacturing process, but also bec ...
vessel used to hold offerings of food, probably mainly grain, for
ancestral tombs. As with other shapes, the ritual bronzes followed early pottery versions for domestic use, and were recalled in later art in both metal, pottery, and sometimes stone. The shape changed somewhat over the centuries but constant characteristics are a circular form (seen from above), with a rounded, wide, profile or shape from the side, standing on a narrower rim or foot. There are usually two, or sometimes four, handles, and there may be a cover or a square base (or both).
The
Kang Hou Gui
The Kang Hou ''gui'' () is a bronze vessel that is said to have been found near the city of Huixian, Henan province, central China. Dating to the Western Zhou period, this ancient Chinese artefact is famous for its inscription on the bottom of the ...
, an 11th-century BC example in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
was chosen as object 23 in the
A History of the World in 100 Objects
''A History of the World in 100 Objects'' was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, consisting of a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor. In 15-minute presentations broadcast on ...
.
The British Museum bowl inscription on the inside of the bowl tells that
King Wu's brother, Kang Hou, who was the Duke of Kang and Mei Situ were given territory in
Wei. The inscription relates a rebellion by remnants of the Shang, and its defeat by the Zhou, which helps us to date it. Because historians know exactly when this unsuccessful rebellion against the Zhou dynasty took place then the bowl can be dated very accurately.
"Chinese Zhou ritual vessel"
more from the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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''Encyclopædia Britannica Online.'' Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. 06 Feb. 2012.
* Rawson, Jessica, et al
In Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online, (accessed February 7, 2012; subscription required).
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* The development of the Gui, illustrated by examples in the collection of the