Cup in the ancient bronze form zhi

The zhi cup is a standard ritual bronze shape appearing in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In its original form it had no handle. The concave profile of the foot, the low swell of the body, and the slight flare of the lip of this grayish-brown vessel reveal familiarity with the zhi shape of the middle Western Zhou period. The same is true of the dragon, sunburst, and leiwen patterns that make up the decor band. The shape of the handle, however, is more directly related to Tang dynasty silver precedents and might have much to do with the use of the vessel.

In one of the hallmarks of Ming dynasty archaistic jades, the interior of this vessel is not as well finished as examples created during the Qing dynasty. The decor band is robust but somewhat crude and also suggests the use of the larger cutting wheels that were used during the Ming, as Yang Boda has noted.