A slender tripod cup on blade-thin legs, the oldest bronze vessel shape China has, and the moment drinking became a ritual instead of a reflex.
The jue belongs to the Erlitou culture, the early Bronze Age society some identify with the Xia, and it shows casting at its first confident step: a spout, a tail, and posts for heating wine over a flame. The nipple studs are decoration; the silhouette is the message, that status could now be poured.
Pieces like this are rare and mostly held in the National Museum and regional sites. They are the seed from which the whole Bronze Age, with all its heavier, louder vessels, grew.
Object details
| Name | Bronze Jue with Nipple Motifs (乳钉纹铜爵) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | — |
| Technique | Cast bronze |
| Period | Erlitou culture (c. 17th-16th c. BCE) |
| Collection | National Museum of China, Beijing |
| Source | 中国国家博物馆 |
Image © National Museum of China, Beijing. See the original in the museum collection.