Bronze and jade objects had enormous prestige in ancient China. People placed them in graves or buried them as offerings to spirits. They used bronze vessels, based on traditional pottery shapes, in ceremonies designed to ensure harmony between the living and their ancestors.

Prominent in this vessel is the taotie--a mask with large eyes and features suggesting horns, fangs, and ears. An abstract human figure appears above one taotie.

Courtesy of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler.