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Wine vessel (Jue)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Wine and food played a major role in ritual offerings to the ancestral spirits and the Supreme Ancestor (Shangdi) performed by the Shang rulers in the state cult of ancestor worship. A variety of wine vessels—each type given a specific name—was cast to bear witness to the power and artistic vitality of this remote civilization. This example of a jue wine cup is for libations. Other types of wine vessels include jia (wine warming vessel), fangyou (square wine container), and gu (beaker with a trumpeted mouth for pouring).
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineWine vessel (Jue), c. 1200 BCE. China, Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1046 BCE). Bronze; overall: 22.7 x 17.2 cm (8 15/16 x 6 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cornelia Blakemore Warner Fund and Edward L. Wittemore Fund, 1960.42
