Bronze Gui Vessel with Dragon-Shaped Handles

The gui vessel has a flaring mouth; a contracted neck; two dragon-shaped handles; a short, wide body; and a ring foot connected to a pedestal. The elaborate ornamentation on the cover is in the shape of lotus petals with a central design of a coiling serpent. The edge of the cover, the body, and the pedestal are decorated with cloud patterns intermingled with double ring patterns. During the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, the gui vessel—although still in existence—was no longer a popular item, and the design had evolved tremendously. This magnificent vessel shows modeling full of an expressive, artistic spirit and is a standard example of the gui vessel of the time.