Ritual wine vessel (jue)

Presented in a group: B60 B723 (right), B60 B1026 (center) and B60 B1049 (left)
By comparison with middle Shang specimens (see Pl. III), the late Shang jue with its carefully proportioned components is a visual delight. The bottom is now usually rounded, the sides straight or convex, the uprights frequently have semicircular or round columns and caps that can assume a variety of shapes, including those of cones, domes or inverted beakers.
With its single upright, its plain, casual handle and its unusual decor thread lines, this vessel is a transitional piece. Supported by an inverted Y-shaped structure that spans the spout, the cap, a truncated cone with a recessed knob is incised with a whorl-circle. The underside of the spout displays two animal triple bands, each one centering on a protruding eye. The neck and tail contain four confronted dragons forming taotie masks, and the same ornamental scheme, only enlarged and slightly modified, appears again on the belly zone.