Chinese
Vessel (GUI) with a body decorated with conical bosses and two taotie-head handles, 1046–256 BCE, Early Western Zhou Dynasty
Not on view
Bronze
Dimensions6 1/4 × 9 1/4 × 12 3/4 in. (15.9 × 23.5 × 32.4 cm)
Gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, New York, 2014.27
Bronze gui vessels were used for cooking and for ceremonial purposes. This example has two taotie masks, which were commonly used on bronzes from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The elaborate embellishments on this vessel may indicate that it was for a member of the ruling class, or possibly used for ceremonial purposes.
