Beaker

This elegantly dignified vessel displays the taut, slender profile and crisply cast surface decoration that distinguishes the finest bronzes made for late Shang royalty. Long tapered blades above a band of serpents encircle the wide, trumpet-mouthed neck. Monster masks (taotie) with angular horns surround the middle section. All motifs are organized in clearly defined quadrants, which are divided by striated flanges and reserved against a background of finely squared spirals.