  About the Artwork
  
  
  This ancient vessel, called a jue, was probably used on an ancestral altar during funerary rites and then placed in the tomb to ensure the deceased’s safe and happy passage into the spiritual realm. Occupying this jue’s major frieze is the most prevalent Shang bronze motif, the taotie (ferocious animal) mask, intended to dispel evil spirits. Above this frieze is a band of stylized cicadas, which live longer than any other insect and symbolize happiness and eternal youth.
  
  
  Title
  Ritual Wine Vessel
  
  
  Artwork Date
  between 1388 and 1122 BCE
  
  Artist
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  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Chinese
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Copper alloy
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 8 3/4 × 7 1/2 × 4 3/4 inches (22.2 × 19.1 × 12.1 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Metalwork
  
  
  Department
  Asian Art
  
  
  Credit
  City of Detroit Purchase
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  53.169
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
