The bronze vessels of ancient China are widely considered the finest bronze objects ever made. They were extremely important in Bronze Age China. It was through the offerings made inside them that the shamans communicated with the ancestors and the deities. (FLG)
This is a replica of a bronze "you" vessel used to hold liquids for ritual sacrifice, in the form of a tiger with a human head in its jaws. In Chinese tradition, the Tiger is a totemic animal that symbolizes protection. Some interpret the Tiger to be the medium through which the Shaman or Necromancer communicates with Heaven. An explanation of the tiger-human theme from Gilles Béguin, Arts de l’Asie au Musée Cernuschi is: " It may be related to a tradition recorded in the Zuozhuan, an ancient commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals (8th-5th centuries BC), which describes how the grandson of Ruoao, from the kingdom of Chu, by the name of Ziwen, was adopted and fed by a tigress when he was a child. "
Resource: Christian Deydier, Understanding Ancient Chinese Bronzes, Their Importance in Chinese Culture, Their Shapes, Functions and Motif, 2015. (https://bit.ly/3jhjXRm)
- Edition: Reproduction
- Subject Matter: Ritual Vessel
- Inventory Number: 2015.19
- Collections: Sacred World Art Collection