Ritual Wine Vessel (Yu)

Artist China (Chinese)

Place of OriginChina

DateZhou Dynasty (1045-222 BCE), about 950 BCE

DimensionsH: 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm); Diam: 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm)

MediumBronze

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1935.47

Not on View

Label TextDuring the Zhou Dynasty, craftsmen often included an inscription on bronze vessels, indicating the family for whom the vessel was made. An inscription on the inside of this bowl reads: . . . made this precious sacral vessel [in honor of] Keng. Such bronze vessels, used to sacrifice to the ancestors, were usually part of sets that would be placed in the owner’s tomb so that the deceased could continue rituals of worship in the next life.