Western Zhou Dynasty wine vessel with exquisite design and inscriptions

Here is a gong (wine vessel) dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC). The vessel has a lid in the shape of a sea beast with two protruding cylindrical horns. A small dragon lies along the beast’s backbone and rests its head in the middle of the beast’s forehead. The handle of the vessel is designed in the shape of a hanging tail, which is decorated with parallel chain-like patterns.

The vessel’s entire surface is adorned with a variety of intricate relief patterns, featuring beast masks, dragons, small birds, and other elements, in a well-balanced composition. Inscriptions of identical content are both found inside the vessel’s body and the lid, indicating its function in sacrificial rituals and the origin of its name - Riji.

Discovered from a hoard in Qijia village, Fufeng county, Shaanxi province, in 1963, the vessel is in the permanent collection of the Shaanxi History Museum.