User:Pikkelle/sandbox

Function and Use
Most Chinese bronze vessels fall into two categories, food vessels or wine vessels. Hu vessels were used for holding wine, but not as drinking vessels. By the Zhou period, Hu were one of the main vessels in use.

Hu were an important part of religious and cultural rituals. Inscriptions in some vessels indicate that as early as the Shang Dynasty, the king would give bronze vessels as gifts to deserving vassals. By 900 BCE other officials had adapted this custom. Bronzes of all types, including Hu, were given for a variety of occasions: as wedding gifts, funeral items, travel tokens, and even to commemorate real estate dealings.

Decor
The hu is a pear shaped vessel that has been found in both a round and square form. Examples have been discovered with a variety of decorative motifs. One example shows the entire vessel covered with images that correspond with everyday life. Silk worm farming, hunting, archery, and warfare are all represented. Interlacing dragon motifs were popular during the Zhou period.

Form and Decor
Examples have been discovered with a variety of decorative motifs. During the Shang Dynasty one hu would typically be offered, decorated with relatively simple taotie designs. Dragons, cattle and thunder patterns also appear on Hu vessels during the Shang Dynasty. During the Zhou Dynasty the style of the vessel changed, with taotie being replaced by "heavy, rounded relief figures on a plain ground". One example from the Late Zhou Period shows the entire vessel covered with images that correspond with everyday life. Silk worm farming, hunting, archery, and warfare are all represented.Interlacing dragon motifs were popular during the Zhou period. By the late Spring and Autumn period the decoration of the vessels in some regions had changed to reflect the influence of animal style art from Central Asian nomads. Hu of this type often used designs that were geometric versions of earlier Taotie motifs and employed copper inlay. During the Warring States Period the shape of the vessel was occasionally modified, taking on a more squared appearance. This squared version of a hu is referred to as a fāng hú. Another variation was the yu, which added a single handle arching above the lid of the vessel.