A fine Chinese bronze ritual wine vessel, gu, Shang Dynasty, 13th-11th century BC, the rounded middle section cast in intaglio with two taotie masks between borders of circles, the mottled patina of olive-green colour, 19cm high Provenance: From a private English Collection by family descent. The gu vessel was known as a ritual vessel used to serve wine in Shang and Zhou dynasties. In early China, as in other societies, the mechanism that generated social cohesion was ritualisation. Bronze vessels were used in divinatory ceremonies for sacrificial offerings of meat, wine, and grain, primarily to the spirits of clan ancestors, especially those of the ruler and his family. 商代 青铜兽面纹觚 拍品来源：英国私人收藏，后在家族传承至今 Condition Report: The vessel with patches of green encrustation Condition Report Disclaimer