Curator

  • Art Institute Chicago
  • Harvard art museum
  • My Exhibition
Wine beaker (gu)

Wine beaker (gu)

Chinese

Beaker of tall, slender form with flared mouth, and lightly flared pedestal foot with three small tabs encircling the perimeter; lower body encircled by grooved bands; lightly burnished gray earthenware. Vessels of this form became popular for wine drinking in the Shang dynasty and may be based on an Erlitou culture (1900-1500 BCE) prototype.

Gray earthenware

Shang dynasty, c. 1600-c. 1050 BCE

Vessels