A RITUAL BRONZE VASE (TYPE GU), SHANG DYNASTY (1600-1046 B.C.) An elegant Chinese ritual bronze vase, of the slender and distinctive Gu type. The elongated body opens into a wide flared mouth, decorated with stylized motifs and engravings typical of the bronze art of the time. The natural green patina, conferred by the oxidation process, enriches its historical and artistic value. In ancient times, it was used to hold wine or liquids during ritual ceremonies. Height: 29 cm The Gu is a vessel for drinking wine. In the Shuowen Jiezi, section Jiao, it is written: 'The Gu is a vessel for drinking wine during village banquets; it is also said that a vessel that holds three sheng is called Gu. In ancient texts, Gu and Zhi are often confused. The term Gu, as we understand it today, derives from the classification given by Song dynasty scholars, without definitive proof identifying it as the Gu mentioned in pre-Qin texts. Objects similar to this one discovered so far do not bear a specific name but can reasonably be considered wine-drinking vessels based on their form. In the early Shang dynasty, some Gu had a partially covered opening and a spout, which directly indicates their use as drinking vessels. The Shang people, great lovers of wine, were closely tied to the complex structure of their religious ceremonies, which is why they devoted great care to the production of wine vessels. This late Shang dynasty Gu features a wide mouth, a slender and long neck, a slightly rounded belly, and a tall, flared circular base, with a prominent lower rim. The neck is smooth and undecorated, while the belly displays two raised bands and an animal mask decoration formed by inverted dragon motifs. At the base of the belly and at the connection to the foot, there are two decorative lines and a cross-shaped decorative hole. The foot is adorned with four groups of inverted dragons, and the empty spaces are filled with cloud and thunder patterns, harmoniously arranged in large and small shapes. 商晚期 青铜兽面纹觚 高 29 厘米 觚为饮酒器，，《说文-角部》："觚，乡饮酒之爵也；一曰：觞受三升者谓之觚。"解释："觚，是用于乡饮酒的爵器；也有说法称容量为三升的觞为觚。"在古籍中，觚和觯常常被混淆。现代称呼的。"其实沿用了宋代学者的考证之名，并没有确凿证据证明它就是先秦文献中的觚。目前发现的此类器物并无确切名称，但从形态上基本可以认定其为饮酒器。 商代早期的觚有时在口部部分封闭，并带有流，这直接证明了其作为饮具的功能。商人嗜酒，这与其复杂的祭祀制度息息相关，因此对饮酒器的制作也极为考究。这件商代晚期的兽面纹觚，敞口，细长颈，腹部微鼓，圈足高且外撇，下部有一圈突出的边沿，颈部光滑无纹，腹部有两条突起，并以倒立龙纹组合成兽面纹。腹部与圈足相接处饰有两道弦纹，另有装饰性的十字孔。圈足上也装饰了四组倒立龙纹。所有空隙处以云雷纹填充，大小相间，排列有序。 BRONZE GU-TYPE RITUAL VASE, SHANG DYNASTY (1600-1046 BC) An elegant Chinese bronze ritual vase, with a slender and distinctive shape of the Gu type. The elongated body opens into a wide flared mouth, decorated with stylised motifs and incisions typical of the bronze art of the time. Natural green patina conferred by the oxidation process enhances its historical and artistic value. Used in antiquity to hold wine or liquids during ritual ceremonies. H 29 cm The Gu is a vessel for drinking wine. In the Shuowen Jiezi, Jiao section, we read: "The Gu is a vessel for drinking wine during village banquets; a vessel containing three sheng is also said to be called Gu." In ancient texts, Gu and Zhi are often confused. The term Gu, as we understand it today, comes from the classification given by scholars of the Song dynasty, with no conclusive evidence identifying it with the Gu of pre-Qin works. The objects similar to this found so far do not bear a proper name, but can reasonably be considered as wine drinking vessels on the basis of their shape. In the early phase of the Shang dynasty, the Gu sometimes had an opening partially covered and a spout, a feature that proves their use as a drinking vessel. The Shang, great lovers of wine, were closely linked to the complex structure of their religious ceremonies, which is why they took great care in the production of wine vessels. This late Shang dynasty Gu has a wide mouth, a long slender neck, a slightly convex belly and a high, flared circular foot with a high rim at the bottom. The neck is smooth and undecorated, while the belly has two reliefs and an animal mask decoration consisting of inverted dragon motifs. At the base of the belly and at the point of connection with the foot, there are two decorative lines and a decorative hole in the shape of a cross. The foot is ornamented with four groups of inverted dragons and the empty areas are filled with cloud and thunderbolt motifs, in a harmonious combination of large and small shapes, arranged in an orderly fashion. 觚为饮酒器，，《说文-角部》："觚，乡饮酒之爵也；一曰：觞受三升者谓之觚。"解释："觚，是用于乡饮酒的爵器；也有说法称容量为三升的觞为觚。"在古籍中，觚和觯常常被混淆。现代称呼的，觚 "其实沿用了宋代学者的考证之名，并没有确凿证据证明它就是先秦文献中的觚。目前发现的此类器物并无确切名称，但从形态上基本可以认定其为饮酒器。 商代早期的觚有时在口部部分封闭，并带有流，这直接证明了其作为饮具的功能。商人嗜酒，这与其复杂的祭祀制度息息相关，因此对饮酒器的制作也极为考究。这件商代晚期的兽面纹觚，敞口，细长颈，腹部微鼓，圈足高且外撇，下部有一圈突出的边沿，颈部光滑无纹，腹部有两条突起，并以倒立龙纹组合成兽面纹。腹部与圈足相接处饰有两道弦纹，另有装饰性的十字孔。圈足上也装饰了四组倒立龙纹。所有空隙处以云雷纹填充，大小相间，排列有序。