Ritual vessel in the shape of a rhinoceros
About this video
The director of the Asian Art Museum presents a rare Shang dynasty bronze ritual vessel in the shape of a rhinoceros, made to hold a fermented beverage. Unusually, its surface is undecorated and the rhino is shown in its natural state, and an inscription in its base lets scholars date it to the last Shang king in the early 11th century BCE.
You'll be able to
- describe what the rhinoceros vessel was used for and what makes it rare.
- point to details that show the sculptor observed a real rhino.
- explain how an inscription helps scholars date an object.
Key words
- Ritual vessel
- A container used in religious ceremonies; this one held a fermented beverage.
- Bronze
- A metal made mostly of copper and tin, used by the Shang to cast vessels.
- Inscription
- Writing cut or cast into an object; here it was cast in the bottom of the vessel.
- Shang dynasty
- An early Chinese dynasty of the Bronze Age; this vessel dates to its last king.
- Cowry shells
- Small shells used as a valuable gift or form of wealth in ancient China.
Transcript
J shoe director of the Asian Art Museum here we are looking at a ancient Chinese bronze vessel dating from around early 11th centuries BCE and it is extraordinary no other museum or private collections that I know of has such a wonderful work of art in the shape of a rhino this ritual vessel was used to hold a fermented beverage and the oval opening may have been covered with a now-missing lid that would conform to the contours of the animal very few Chinese vessels made during the bronze age were in the form of animals and those that were featured surface decorations of linear patterns and other animals like tigers or dragons this one is rare for its undecorated surface please look at the sculpture as Jeju
describes some details of this figure this Rhino is the only one depicted entirely in its own natural state we may even notice the folds of the very thick skin and give you a sense of what the real Rhinos hide look like the Rhinos snout looks very powerful it has two holes the ears stands up and expands outwards indicating a state of alertness and the belly of the Rhino droops down to give you a sense of what the weight of the real Rhino is another important piece of information about the Rhino its inscription in the bottom cast at the same time as a rhino South Italy course a lessor Minister by name of you who received a royal gift in the form of quarry shells the inscription notes that this honor took place during the
fiftieth year of the king the same year that he embarked on a campaign against one of his enemies named Ren Fong because this information the scholar could date the vessel to the last king of the Sun dynasty in the early 11th century pce the next vessel which happened to be in the shape of a rhino was made in China 1,000 years later in other words this ritual vessel is one-of-a-kind you
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