The Huixian Bronze Hu are a pair of bronze wine vessels that were found in the city of Huixian,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
province, central
China. Dating to the
Eastern Zhou dynasty
The Eastern Zhou (; zh, c=, p=Dōngzhōu, w=Tung1-chou1, t= ; 771–256 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the second half of the Zhou dynasty. It was divided into two periods: the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States.
History
In 770 ...
, they have been part of 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 ...
's
Asian Collections since 1972.
British Museum Highlights
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Discovery
The two vessels were apparently found in Huixian
Huixian () is a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Xinxiang, in the northwest of Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. He ...
in Henan province, although the exact circumstances of their discovery remains unclear. However, based on their manufacturing technique and design, it is evident that the hu were made at the Jin State Foundry in Houma, Shanxi province, where bronze casting was centred during the Eastern Zhou period (771-221 BC). They were bequeathed
A bequest is property given by will. Historically, the term ''bequest'' was used for personal property given by will and ''deviser'' for real property. Today, the two words are used interchangeably.
The word ''bequeath'' is a verb form for the ...
to the British Museum in 1972.
Description
The pair of hu are identical in shape and size and date to the 5th Century BC. The two delicately cast containers were made through the lost wax
Lost-wax casting (also called "investment casting", "precision casting", or ''cire perdue'' which has been adopted into English from the French, ) is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often silver, gold, brass, or bronze) is ...
technique. Apart from slight damage to the lower part of the vessels, they are in good condition. Their ornate decoration includes repeated bands of layered interlace intersected by roped borders. The lower band includes four taotie
The ''Taotie'' () is an ancient Chinese mythological creature that was commonly emblazoned on bronze and other artifacts during the 1st millennium BC. ''Taotie'' are one of the " four evil creatures of the world". In Chinese classical texts such a ...
or monster faces composed of vipers. The handles
A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that allows it to be grasped and manipulated by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt with intuitively or by following t ...
of the two vessels are designed in the shape of prancing tigers
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...
with reverted heads, and their open lids are made in the form of petalled crowns.
Inscription
On the outer rim of the lids are identical inscriptions which record the casting of the hu by Zhao Meng, a minister of the Jin State, for a meeting with the King of Wu at Huangshi
Huangshi (), Postal Map Romanization, alternatively romanized as Hwangshih, is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Hubei province, People's Republic of China.
Its population was 2,469,079 inhabitants at the 2020 census; 1,567,108 of whom liv ...
in 482 BC. The purpose of such meetings was to forge alliances between different territories and the two vessels may have been made to celebrate such an agreement between the Jin and Wu states.
See also
Basse Yutz Flagons for a pair of bronze wine vessels that were made at roughly the same time on the other side of the world.
Gallery
Image:Periodo degli zhou dell'est, coppia di vasi rituali hu. V sec. ac. 01.JPG, One of the hu wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
vessels in more detail
References
Further reading
*J Rawson, ''The British Museum Book of Chinese Art'' (London, British Museum Press, 2007)
*J. Rawson, Chinese bronzes: art and ritual (London, The British Museum Press, 1987)
{{British Museum
Asian objects in the British Museum
Zhou dynasty bronzeware
Huixian