Vessel (zun) with lid

This wine vessel is the only known lacquer work with an inscription dating from 278 BCE, the year the central Chinese state of Qin conquered the Chu state in central south China. The artistic configuration, in a quintessentially Chu style, was long a specialty of lacquer craftsmen in the Chu region. The interior of the vessel is coated in red, while the exterior is painted with red designs on a dark brown background. The principal motifs, alternating spirals with fine whirls, represent heavenly clouds or the qi spiritual energy associated with the constellations, which are known in ancient astrology as the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions. The side wall of the lid is painted with mythical phoenixes, a prominent design in Chu art. The lacquerware is highly prized because of its rare, technically challenging design, which features metal pieces holding the lacquer parts together. The cylindrical form of the body’s core and the lid’s side wall were first formed with thin sheets of wood, which then was attached to the base and the lid’s top, both made of thick layers. After the entire piece was lacquered, the metal fittings—three S-shaped ears, a loop-shaped handle, and a lower band set on three legs—were respectively affixed on the lid, the body,and the lower portion. Not only did the metal fittings stabilize the entire lacquer work, they also created a decorative aesthetic. Their silver inlays represent stylized cloudy whirls in figure eight and diamond patterns.

The inscription presents a historical account of this vessel made for Queen Dowager Xuan (died 265 BCE), a native of the Chu region and mother of King Zhaoxiang (died 251 BCE) of the Qin state. Her cross-state marriage was probably arranged as a political alliance between Qin and Chu. Upon the accession of the young Zhaoxiang in 307 BCE, Xuan appointed her brother to be the military commander-in-chief and began a political campaign to suppress neighboring kingdoms. In a series of successful battles, the Qin forces seized the heartland of the Chu in 278 BCE, forcing the Chu to move its capital east. Queen Dowager Xuan likely commissioned this piece in celebration of acquiring her hometown under the Qin’s territory.