Kang Hou gui
The Kang Hou Gui vessel on display at the British Museum
MaterialBronze
Size21.6 cm High, 42 cm Diameter
Created11th Century BC
Present locationBritish Museum, London
RegistrationAsia OA 1977,0404.1

The Kang Hou gui (Chinese: 康侯簋) is a bronze vessel that is said to have been taken from the city of Huixian, Henan province, central China. Dating to the Western Zhou period, this ancient Chinese artefact is famous for its inscription on the bottom of the interior. It has been part of the British Museum's Asian Collections since 1977.[1]

Provenance

Little is known about the original context in which the bowl was found. However, based on its inscription, it is conjectured by archaeologists to have been deposited in Wey, near present-day Huixian in Henan province. Past owners of the vessel include the British diplomat Dugald Malcolm, before the gui was purchased by the British Museum with the support of the Brooke Sewell bequest.[1]

Description

This cast bronze gui is a lavishly decorated food bowl that was used during rituals for worshipping ancestors. This high based vessel has large handles shaped like tusked animal heads that have eaten birds, whose beaks are shown peeking out of their predators' mouths.[2] Between the rim and the incised vertical lines is a narrow band decorated with an animal head and alternating roundels and quatrefoils. A similar band (without the animal heads) is engraved on the foot of the container. The Kang Hou gui was chosen by Neil MacGregor, the Director of the British Museum, as object 23 in the BBC Radio programme A History of the World in 100 Objects.[2]

Inscription

The ancient Chinese inscription on the inside of the bowl tells how King Wu's brother, Kang Hou (Marquis of Kang) was given territory in Wey. The inscription also describes a rebellion by remnants of the Shang dynasty, known as the Rebellion of the Three Guards, and its defeat by the Zhou dynasty, which helps to date the vessel. Because historians know when this unsuccessful rebellion against the Zhou took place, they are able to accurately date the manufacture of this important object to the 11th century BC.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 British Museum Collection gui, British Museum, retrieved 22 December 2014
  2. 1 2 Episode 23 - Chinese Zhou Ritual Vessel, Episode transcript, BBC, retrieved 22 December 2014
  3. ↑ Chinese Zhou ritual vessel (gui), British Museum Highlights, retrieved 22 December 2014

Further reading

  • J Rawson, The British Museum Book of Chinese Art (London, British Museum Press, 2007)
  • J. Rawson, Chinese bronzes: art and ritual (London, The British Museum Press, 1987)
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